The countdown has begun until Brighton & Hove hosts matches for Rugby World Cup 2015.
Wednesday 18 September marks two years until the start of the tournament, including two games at the Brighton Community Stadium, and local rugby enthusiasts are gearing up to encourage everyone to be proud of the city’s role in this global sporting event.
To celebrate the “two years to go” milestone, young tag rugby players from Balfour Primary School took to the beach with a couple of the the new RWC 2015 match balls, specially designed for Brighton & Hove. This summer the Balfour tag rugby team won the National Tag Rugby Champions and the new recruits are hoping to win future glory for the city. The children, aged 10 and 11 years old, were joined in their beach practise session by members from Brighton Rugby Club.
Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, Chair of the Economic Development and Culture Committee, said: "We are proud to welcome Rugby World Cup 2015 yet again see an international focus on our city. The successful bid for the city to be selected as a host city is a credit to all those who worked hard to make it happen. It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase the city’s world-class stadium and highlight our home-grown sports talent.”
Brighton & Hove City Council and Brighton & Hove Albion football club worked together on the successful bid which will see the city hosting two Rugby World Cup 2015 matches. The chosen venue is the state of the art Brighton Community Stadium.
Notes to editors:
Photo credit: www.snapitnow.co.uk
The matches taking place in Brighton will be held on:
19 September 2015 South Africa (confirmed) vs Asia 1 (to be confirmed)
20 September 2015 Samoa (confirmed) vs America 2 (to be confirmed)
Press release from May 2 2013 announcing the RWC2015 coming to Brighton:
www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/council-and-democracy/news/rugby-world-cup-comes-brighton-hove
Press release from July 17 2013 announcing Balfour’s tag rugby win:
www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/press-release/we-are-champions
Official Rugby World Cup website: www.rugbyworldcup.com
The 13 match venues and host cities are: Twickenham Stadium (London), Wembley Stadium (London), Olympic Stadium (London), Millennium Stadium (Cardiff), Manchester City Stadium (Manchester), St James’ Park (Newcastle), Elland Road (Leeds), Leicester City Stadium (Leicester), Villa Park (Birmingham), Kingsholm Stadium (Gloucester), Stadium MK (Milton Keynes), Brighton Community Stadium (Brighton) and Sandy Park (Exeter).