There are now just 100 days to go until Rugby World Cup 2015 gets underway.
To mark the occasion, Prince Harry was joined by 2003 Rugby World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson and Will Greenwood to launch the domestic leg of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour.
The trio were joined by local school children from Richmond and Hounslow to send the Webb Ellis Cup off on its 100 day journey around the UK and Ireland, where it will visit over 300 events at rugby clubs, schools, festivals and iconic landmarks. The Trophy Tour has already taken in 15 countries over the past 12 months.
England Rugby 2015 Managing Director, Stephen Brown, confirmed that England 2015 was set to be the biggest Rugby World Cup to date.
“We’ve sold two million tickets, recruited 6,000 volunteers who will form ‘The Pack’, confirmed our 15 Official Fanzones and are delivering a Rugby World Cup 2015 testing and readiness programme,” he said.
“We continue to work hard with all our key stakeholders to ensure Rugby World Cup 2015 is a true celebration of rugby for the nation and the watching world.”
Legacy
England Rugby 2015 announced details of 15,000 tickets to be allocated to projects such as the Mayor of London’s Sports Legacy Programmes, RFU Regional Legacy Boards, the Injured Players Foundation and Tickets for Troops to allow even more people to be a part of the tournament.
The 100-day milestone also marks the start of the Festival of Rugby, which will run from 10 June to 31 October, and kicked off today with a Tag Rugby World Record attempt at Luton RFC.
The Festival of Rugby allows any rugby themed event to join in as part of rugby’s biggest year.
RFU Chief Executive Ian Ritchie said: “The RFU aims to deliver a meaningful legacy by creating more capacity, improved facilities, more people – coaches, officials and volunteers – and more schools offering rugby. We continue to work closely with England Rugby 2015 to maximise the impact both in 2015 and beyond,”
Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch added: “The Trophy Tour and Festival of Rugby will be fantastic and spread the rugby message across the country. I am sure the Tournament will bring new people to the game, both as spectators and players. It will show the world the best of Britain, boosting tourism and the economy more widely.”
