FORMER South African rugby union star Thinus Delport was the guest of honour at Allenbourn Middle School in Wimborne.

Delport, capped 18 times by the Springboks, visited the Dorset school as part of the Sky Sports Living for Sport intiative that uses sport stars and sport skills to boost pupils’ confidence.

The 37-year-old ex-Worcester full-back is one of 23 athlete mentors for the Sky Sports Living for Sport – a free secondary schools venture delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust.

Delport spent his time at Allenbourn discussing the benefits that sport has had on the pupils’ school lives and drew on his own experiences to motivate and inspire youngsters to further improve their lives through sport.

Dealing with the social pressure from moving from a small farming community to a big city environment gave Delport the mental toughness to drive himself to achieve.

Maintaining his passion for rugby helped Delport persevere in reaching his goals – regardless of any setbacks and obstructions.