Rugby’s prized trophies going on tour

6 February 2011

New Zealand’s most prized rugby silverware is about to hit the road, with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) emptying out the trophy cabinet and taking the trophies on tour around the country as part of a unique programme to help promote the game in all 26 rugby provincial unions.

Five of rugby’s treasured spoils and a road show of fun activities will hit 31 towns over five weeks.  In addition, rugby’s ultimate prize, the Web Ellis Cup, will appear at most stops. The trophies going on tour include:

• The Bledisloe Cup – the traditional prize of trans-Tasman rivalry which the All Blacks retained for the eighth year in a row in 2010

• The Tri Nations Trophy – honours were taken off South Africa by the All Blacks in a solid 2010 Tri Nations Series

• The Hillary Shield – named in honour of Sir Edmund Hillary and unveiled in 2008, it is contested between the All Blacks and England, and was again won by the All Blacks on the Telecom BackingBlack Grand Slam Tour in November 2010

• The IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup – the Black Ferns claimed their fourth consecutive World Cup win in September 2010

• The IRB Junior World Championship Trophy – won for a third straight year by the New Zealand Under 20 side last year.

NZRU General Manager of Community Rugby and Provincial Unions Brent Anderson said the Trophy Tour will also include the ultimate prize at this year’s Rugby World Cup – the Webb Ellis Cup – at 15 of the road show stops.

“We’re delighted that we’ll have the Webb Ellis Cup for most of the provincial stops on the official Trophy Tour schedule. For those provinces that host our Trophy Tour but miss out on the Webb Ellis Cup, we will be taking it to those provinces before or after the official tour.

"This is the first time we’ve embarked on an ambitious project of this nature but these trophies shouldn’t always be locked away in a cabinet.  Taking these prizes to New Zealand communities is an important part of ensuring people feel part of the game and also fulfils the ‘Stadium of Four Million’ concept which was part of our Rugby World Cup 2011 hosting bid,” Anderson said.

“This is the traditional registration time of year for most rugby clubs, and the Trophy Tour is a great way of supporting provincial unions and their annual drive to get kids signed up to play.

“As well as having the trophies on display, the local provincial union will help us organise fun skill-based activities and entertainment on the day the Trophy Tour hits their town, and we’ll also have the children’s rugby mascot Rugger and the Ruggerbees around for entertainment.

“We’re encouraging people to visit the road show, have their photo taken with the trophies and try their hand at some of our rugby skills activities,” Anderson said.

The tour is the first of six initiatives the NZRU is undertaking this year, with the aim of leveraging Rugby World Cup 2011 to develop a strong and continuing legacy for grassroots rugby.

The Trophy Tour gets under way in Nelson next Saturday 12 February and will cover the South Island as far as Invercargill, before heading to Wellington on 27 February up to Northland and finishing in Taranaki on 20 March.

See the full schedule plus get the latest tour updates at www.allblacks.com/trophytour

Check out all the photos at www.facebook.com/allblacks