He describes himself on Twitter as an “ex-rugby player who had an occasional catching problem”.

However there were no such glitches when Ben Kay, retired English international rugby union footballer, visited St Columba’s College in King Harry Lane, St Albans.

Ben, a high profile former England player, attended a rugby training session on Tuesday (28), giving many tips on improving the boys’ game, including decision making and tackling.

The college’s U12 A team captain Charlie McHale said: “It was an amazing opportunity to be coached by a previous World Cup winner, making me want to play rugby even more, and he has inspired me to become a professional rugby player when I am older.”

Ben said it was clear that boys at the college had a “clear passion for rugby and the aspiration to succeed”.

Dan Townson, director of rugby at St Columba’s, said: “Opportunities like this inspire the boys to remain in the sport and to achieve the best that they can, both as an individual and as a team player.”

Ben joined Leicester Tigers in 1999 and made his England debut against France in 2000.

He went on to play at the highest level for many years and was the only player to play every minute of England’s 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign.

As his twitter profile alludes to, when playing in the World Cup in 2003 in the final against Australia, Ben famously dropped the ball forwards in a try-scoring position – but England went on to win the title regardless.

He was one of only four players to have started both the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cup finals.

Since retiring at the end of the 2009/10 season after 11 years with Leicester Tigers, Ben has been a television commentator.