RFU announce partnership with BMW

Posted on Apr 12, 2012 in English Rugby, RFU

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) today announced a new four-year partnership with BMW Group UK as the Official Vehicle Partner from September 2012.

BMW Group UK will invest in various levels of the elite game through an integrated partnership to become the Official Vehicle Partner of England Rugby, title sponsors of England’s elite age grade development programme and front of shirt sponsors of the England Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 squads.

The partnership sees the world’s leading premium automobile manufacturer make a significant investment in the continued development of the next generation of English players.

Outside of its commitment to development and support of the England teams, BMW Group UK will also engage rugby supporters and BMW and MINI customers through the RFU’s digital channels and at Twickenham Stadium on international match days.

Sophie Goldschmidt, RFU Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted to be entering into a new partnership with BMW Group UK, a company renowned both for the excellence of its vehicles and for supporting the development of athletes. As one of the leading global automotive brands who pride themselves on performance, we are really looking forward to working with them at various levels from September.”

Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW Group UK, added: “This new partnership is an excellent result for the RFU, BMW, our dealers, customers and, crucially, anyone who plays or follows rugby. The game is a perfect brand fit for us and this news comes as a natural extension of the work we have already done to support some of the UK’s leading sports stars."

England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster has overseen the development of English players over the last four years in his role as RFU Head of Elite Player Development. “Putting in place the right player development programmes is critical if we are to make England successful, not just in 2015 but beyond,” said Lancaster. “We are now seeing the fruits of our age grade representative structure and BMW’s support of that will be a massive boost to them.”

Ireland Club Team Named For Ulster Bank Club International

Posted on Mar 7, 2012 in Ireland, Irish Rugby

The Ireland Club team to play Scotland Clubs in the Ulster Bank Club International for the ‘Dal Riada’ cup contains five new caps.

Clontarf’s Simon Crawford will Captain the side with Cork Con’s influential scrum half Gerry Hurley named as Vice Captain.

The five new players to be capped at this level are all in the backline with Lansdowne’s Craig Ronaldson named at ten outside the experienced Hurley.

Mike Kelliher of Young Munster will form a new centre partnership with the previously capped Killian Lett.

There is an all new back three with Cathal Quinn of Cork Constitution and Lansdowne’s Cian Aherne named alongside Ballymena’s Rodger McBurney.

The side is coached by UCC’s Conor Twomey, assisted by David Murphy of De La Salle Palmerston.

The Ireland Club side captured the inaugural ‘Dal Riada’ trophy in a thrilling 32 – 30 win in Scotland last season.

The Ireland Club side will also face the England Counties in Preston Grasshoppers RFC on March 16th.

IRELAND CLUB Team & Replacements (v Scotland Club  XV, Ulster Bank Club International, Anglesea Road, Old Belvedere RFC, Friday, March 9, kick-off 6.30pm):

15. Rodger McBurney (Ballymena)*
14. Cian Aherne (Lansdowne)*
13. Killian Lett (Clontarf)
12. Mike Kelliher (Young Munster)*
11. Cathal Quinn (Cork Constitution)*
10. Craig Ronaldson (Lansdowne)*
9. Gerry Hurley (Cork Constitution)
1. Rob Sweeney (St. Mary’s College)
2. Ger Slattery (Young Munster)
3. Christy Condon (Dolphin)
4. Philip Donnellan (Cork Constitution)
5. Fergal Walsh (Shannon)
6. Simon Crawford (Clontarf)
7. Barry O’Mahony (Clontarf)
8. Hugh Hogan (St. Mary’s College)

Replacements:
16. Hugh McGrath (Young Munster)*
17. Risteard Byrne (UCD)*
18. Liam Og Murphy (Young Munster)
19. Frank Cogan (Clontarf)
20. Brian Slater (UCC)*
21. Barry Keeshan (Dolphin)
22. James Thompson (Ballynahinch)*

*Uncapped Player

Rugby Football Union Signs Four Year Partnership with Canterbury

Posted on Mar 2, 2012 in England, England Saxons, England Students, England U20, England Women, English Rugby, RFU

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) today announced a long term partnership with Canterbury, the world’s leading rugby brand, to become their official kit partner.

The four year agreement will see Canterbury supplying kit to the England Senior, Saxons, Sevens, Women’s and age grade representative teams from September 2012 to beyond the Rugby World Cup in 2015.

The partnership brings together two brands with great rugby heritage and tradition, in addition to an unrivalled passion for the sport and its fans. For the RFU it also represents the largest kit partnership in the Union’s history, allowing continued investment into all levels of the game which is at the heart of the strategic focus for both organisations.

Sophie Goldschmidt, RFU Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted about this new partnership with Canterbury. The brand is recognised by players and fans alike and its heritage in rugby is unrivalled. The excellent quality of playing apparel Canterbury is famed for will also ensure the England teams have the best technical kit available to assist them on and off the pitch. This new exciting partnership will allow the Rugby Football Union to further invest in the game.”

Chris Stephenson, CEO of Canterbury, said: “The partnership with the Rugby Football Union is the perfect combination of two brands steeped in rugby history that rugby fans know and respect. We are excited at the prospect of developing this relationship and enhancing the awareness of rugby to a wider audience with the aim of increasing participation levels.

"With over a century of experience in producing the highest quality playing apparel, designed specifically to maximise performance, we pride ourselves on producing the strongest, most technologically advanced kits available.”

RFU announces partnership with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

Posted on Jan 17, 2012 in England, English Rugby, RFU

The Rugby Football Union has today unveiled details of an exciting new partnership with one of the world’s leading consumer healthcare companies, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK). The deal will run to 2016 and sees leading brands Lucozade Sport and Maximuscle, part of the Maxinutrition portfolio, partner with the Elite England Rugby Squads as Official Hydration and Sports Nutrition partners respectively. The deal represents the first collaboration between the two companies  since the GSK acquisition of Maxinutrition in February 2011.

The UK’s number one sports drink and nutrition brands will fuel England Rugby, becoming official partners to the Senior, Saxons, Sevens and Women’s squads. Both Lucozade Sport and Maximuscle have an excellent reputation in research and development and as part of this strategic partnership the RFU will utilise their expertise to further develop world-class hydration and nutrition strategies, aiding performance optimisation, endurance and recovery.

Alongside elite rugby, the two brands are committed to supporting adult rugby outside of the professional game and will bring their enthusiasm and expertise to players and clubs throughout the country.

Peter Harding, General Manager of GSK Consumer Healthcare Great Britain and Ireland, commented,“We are delighted to announce the beginning of an exciting partnership with the RFU in what is a promising time for not only the senior England team but English rugby as a whole. GSK are positive that our significant experience in delivering outstanding sports nutrition will help the team maximise its potential, starting with the RBS 6 Nations.”

Sophie Goldschmidt, RFU Chief Commercial Officer, said, “We are excited about our new strategic partnership with GSK’s Consumer Healthcare business.  Lucozade Sport and Maximuscle are leaders in their field and are highly respected within the industry.  This partnership will benefit all levels of the RFU’s elite game, providing products and tailored nutritional expertise to England’s Senior, Saxons, Sevens and Women’s squads – this reinforces our commitment to excellence across all levels.”

England Head Coach, Stuart Lancaster added,” Keeping our players in the best possible health and physical condition is paramount to the team’s success and we are sure that our partnership with Lucozade Sport and Maximuscle can only further help our strength and conditioning team in achieving this. The margins in elite sport are narrowing, so we are looking to this partnership to help us find edges in human performance via hydration and nutrition practices.”

RFU pilots new online Coaching Academy

Posted on Aug 10, 2011 in England, English Rugby, RFU

THE Rugby Football Union (RFU) today announced the start of trials of a new internet based coaching academy which aims to deliver the best of rugby coaching information to coaches at all levels of the game throughout England as a complementary and integral part of the RFU’s coach development programmes.

The academy has been established in partnership with Global Sports Coaching (GSC) and its www.rugbycoachingdrills.com website.  Established in 2010, GSC has accessed the talents and experience of leading coaches in this country and abroad, including Sir Ian McGeechan and Dick Best, to create on online coaching and club management resource that features a range of coaching exercises including interactive drills in 3D, a coaching toolkit and personal development programmes for players of all ages.

As the National Governing Body for rugby in England, the RFU aims to be regarded as a role model for coach development and coaching excellence and has responsibility for ensuring the quantity and quality of coaches, from grassroots to representative level, is constantly growing and improving. It has a series of well-developed coaching development programmes and support services that ensures rugby happens around the country in a safe and fun environment.

“This is the first time the RFU has entered into a partnership with an external provider for the delivery of essential coaching services,” said Gary Henderson, Head of Player and Coach Development at the RFU.  “Our objective is to improve the expertise of our coaches at all levels nationally by complementing our face to face programmes with value added content and advice via the internet.  

“All our research has shown that coaches play a significant role in providing the quality of experience we want to give our players so working in partnership with GSC and its www.rugbycoachingdrills.com website, we believe we can provide our coaches with access to resources that will greatly improve their performance.

“We’re starting with a pilot scheme before moving onto regional trials in September. Depending on the outcome of the trials, we plan to launch the academy nationally next January.”

Sir Ian McGeechan, Director of GSC, said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with the RFU on the delivery of this crucial aspect of the Union’s services.

“It is apparent that the rapid development of the interactive web technology and related communications infrastructures provide an appropriate resource with which to manage and develop coaching expertise in this country.  We’ve invested heavily in the development of our website and are very excited about the potential of the RFU’s coaching academy.”