CAPE TOWN - SA Rugby on Friday announced Land Rover as the latest blue-chip company to back the Springboks when it signed an agreement as an associate sponsor and official vehicle partner of SA Rugby.
The class-leading vehicle manufacturer has signed a three-year partnership, which will see Land Rover support the Boks' Rugby World Cup 2019 campaign, of which Land Rover are a global sponsor.
SA Rugby and Springbok players will receive support from Land Rover in the form of official team vehicles, while fans and communities will also benefit, with Land Rover planning to grow involvement and interaction at stadiums, fan-zone displays and through its retail network.
"We are thrilled to welcome Land Rover to the family so soon after announcing a number of other blue chip companies who have given their support to the Springboks and SA Rugby," said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.
"Land Rover is a byword for class, quality and capability, attributes that are synonymous with successful rugby teams and we trust that they will be shared qualities throughout our association.
"They know the rugby landscape extremely well through their long-standing sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup 2019 and we look forward to working with them over the coming months and years.
"I'd like to thank Land Rover for their support and the faith they are showing in the Springboks and rugby."
Richard Gouverneur, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa said: "Land Rover has supported global rugby for more than two decades. Here, in South Africa, we are involved with local unions, clubs and rural schools to support the development of the sport.
"By signing on as an associate sponsor and vehicle partner to the Springboks, we plan to drive those efforts even further, using the best ambassadors for the sport."
Land Rover is involved in a number of community initiatives such as Rugby Goes Rural, Moments that Matter and Hope Crosses Any Terrain.
Rugby Goes Rural rugby clinics are hosted by Land Rover's rugby ambassadors at rural schools throughout the country, including schools in areas where the athletes grew up playing rugby. Rugby Goes Rural forms part of Land Rover's Hope Crosses Any Terrain programme, which contributes to Jaguar Land Rover's global corporate social responsibility objective of creating opportunities for 12 million people by 2020.
Mark Cameron, Experiential Marketing Director, Global Marketing, Jaguar Land Rover said: "This new partnership with the Springbok team and the South African Rugby Union is a testament to our long standing commitment to rugby at all levels, from grass roots to the elite. We at Land Rover share the same passion, resolve and integrity that sits within the core of the game."
Land Rover's iconic emblem will be worn on the Springboks' shorts as part of the agreement. It will appear for the first time in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship test against Australia in Perth on 9 September.
Land Rover joins MTN, FNB, FlySafair, Southern Palace and Ram Hand-to-Hand Couriers, who have partnered with SA Rugby and the Springboks in the past six months.