Cape Town - With less than 100 days to go until Rugby World Cup 2015 kicks off, World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset is confident that the eighth edition of the sport’s showcase event will be a very special and record-breaking celebration of rugby and the host nation.
Global anticipation and excitement continues to grow ahead of an event that will raise the bar on and off the field of play as the world’s top teams compete for the coveted Webb Ellis Cup and inspire new participants and fans worldwide.
With preparations on track and strong demand for ticket applications through the public process, England 2015 is set to be the most viewed, best-attended and most-engaged Rugby World Cup yet, while a record commercial programme will provide the financial platform for unprecedented investment in rugby worldwide.
Lapasset said: “Rugby World Cup 2015 will be a very special and record-breaking global celebration of rugby that has fans and players at heart.
“With 100 days to go I am confident that England 2015 will be the biggest tournament on every metric – the best-attended, most-viewed, most-competitive, best-socially engaged, most-commercially successful Rugby World Cup to date and the one with the biggest legacy.
“Rugby World Cup is about bringing people together to celebrate rugby and to have fun and I am also predicting a truly spectacular event on every level. It has been wonderful to see this event fully embraced by the people of England and Wales.
“From the stadia to the fan-zones and across the host cities, we are predicting a compelling, festival atmosphere as the world’s best players bid to win rugby’s greatest prize – the Webb Ellis Cup.”
Long before the referee blows his whistle for the opening match, England 2015 will have been confirmed as a record-breaker. The enormous popularity and appeal of rugby’s greatest event in the global sporting marketplace means that England 2015 has delivered a record commercial and broadcast platform, which is great news for rugby development worldwide.
Lapasset added: “Rugby World Cup is the financial engine that drives the development of rugby worldwide and has enabled World Rugby to invest more than £340 million in development, training, education, player welfare, tournaments and high performance in order to strengthen and develop the sport globally. We anticipate that England 2015 will deliver a further £150 million to grow the game.”
In addition to record demand for tickets via the public application process (buy official though tickets.rugbyworldcup.com), more than 180,000 tickets have been booked by rugby fans from 60 nations through Official Travel Agents – surpassing the total sold for New Zealand 2011 by more than 50 per cent, while sales are well on track to topple the France 2007 total of 184 000.
The tournament in numbers
• Excitement building throughout host cities, venues and across the global rugby family
• Hospitality package sales for RWC 2015 have exceeded total volume sold for RWC 2011 by 100 per cent
• Six official Worldwide Partners with programme locked down in record time and with record value
• 11 enthusiastic host cities
• 13 iconic match venues
• 15 nations visited by the international trophy tour
• 20 participating teams
• 41 team bases across England and Wales providing world-class training facilities for participating teams
• 83 nations participated in the largest Rugby World Cup qualification process
• 207 broadcast territories to screen more than 20,000 hours of coverage
• 620 players
• 6,000 volunteers in ‘The Pack’
• 180,000 tickets sold through official supporter tour programme, surpassing the New Zealand 2011 total by more than 50 per cent
• 500,000 overseas fans anticipated to visit England and Wales during the six-week, 48-match festival
• 2.3 million tickets available with record demand from the public
• £340 million being invested by World Rugby in development of global rugby between 2009 and 2016 owing to commercial success of RWC
• Up to £1 billion of direct additional value into the UK economy (£2 billion indirect)
The milestone also marked the beginning of a UK and Ireland trophy tour that will see the iconic Webb Ellis Cup visit nearly 300 locations in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England before arriving at Twickenham for the opening match between England and Fiji on 18 September.
Its arrival will mark the end of a remarkable journey that has also seen the trophy visit 15 countries, including iconic locations such as Niagara Falls, Mount Fuji, Sydney Harbour and the Burj Al Arab. During the trip to Rome, the trophy visited the Coliseum and the headquarters of the UN World Food Programme, the official humanitarian partner of Rugby World Cup 2015.
England 2015 Managing Director Stephen Brown said: “The 100 days to go milestone today marks a key countdown moment for rugby fans. We were delighted to be joined by His Royal Highness Prince Harry and our Rugby World Cup-winning ambassadors Jonny Wilkinson and Will Greenwood today to launch the Rugby World Cup trophy tour from Twickenham Stadium. The tour will embark on a full 100 day tour of the UK and Ireland, following the successful international trophy tour of 15 countries over the past 12 months, and will engage and inspire the nation to be part of this fantastic tournament, enabling fans to create unforgettable memories in the lead up to the very exciting six weeks of rugby ahead of us all.
“As the organising committee we are pleased to be fully on track with our delivery plan. 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. 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.”
The RFU’s legacy programme will maximise the hosting opportunity. It is investing £10 million into more than 500 community clubs and a further £1 million has gone into coaching and refereeing courses with 69,000 people having attended those courses since March 2012. The RFU will also deliver 5,000 volunteers in England, while partnering with World Rugby and Rugby Europe to target one million new participants across the continent.
Rugby will not be the only beneficiary. A recent economic impact study by tournament supplier EY reveals that Rugby World Cup 2015 is set to deliver nearly £1 billion of additive value into the UK economy, underscoring the value of major events to host nations.
No stone has been left unturned to ensure that every need is covered for the 20 participating teams. The venues and team bases have been selected with performance and player welfare in mind, while every aspect of tournament delivery has been designed to enhance the team and fan experience.
Tournament Director Alan Gilpin said: “Players are at the heart of Rugby World Cup 2015 and the facilities in stadia, at the training venues or team bases will be of an exceptional standard. They will have everything they need to perform to their potential on the world’s greatest rugby stage.”
As tournament preparations enter the readiness phase, World Rugby has also praised the tournament organisers England Rugby 2015 and the RFU for their excellent collaboration.
Lapasset added: “With 100 days to go, we would not be in such great shape without clear vision and team work and I would like to pay tribute to the tournament organiser England Rugby 2015, the RFU and the Rugby World Cup Limited teams for their dedication and hard work.”
ANA