- O2 Rugby Reunion finale took place at Kneller Hall, Twickenham
- Members of the England Rugby squad turn up to show support
The O2 Rugby Reunion finale took place at Kneller Hall, Twickenham on September 5.
The culmination of this summer’s O2 Rugby Reunion regional events, ‘The Big One’ gave 34 teams from across the UK the chance to play in front of some 500 supporters and to meet members of the England Rugby squad.
The winners were: Nottingham Police in the Corporate Competition; Saiyan in the Cup; with Parched As lifting the Bowl and Inappropriates the Plate.
O2 Rugby Reunion is a nationwide initiative supported by the RFU to encourage players who have drifted away from rugby to get back playing the game. It used a specially created Facebook application which let friends put a team together and sign up and play at one of the nationwide touch rugby events.
‘The Big One’ at Kneller Hall was followed by the Women’s Rugby World Cup final at The Twickenham Stoop. Commenting on the initiative, 2003 World Cup winner Mike Catt said: “As both a coach and past England player I truly believe in the importance of keeping young players in the game. Rugby is a fun, sociable sport for players and fans alike and through O2 Rugby Reunion more players have reunited with their old team mates and rediscovered their love of the game.”
The O2 Rugby Reunion regional events took place in Newcastle, London, and Bristol, Manchester, Coventry, and Dorset . Jenny Simms, RFU Sponsorship Account Director, said: “The Play On campaign is all about getting people back into the sport, an important strategy for the RFU. The O2 Rugby Reunion touch events were created to ensure the best possible links to local clubs and the regional rugby communities and to reach a wider audience via the O2 Rugby Reunion and Facebook activity."
To find out more about the RFU’s retention campaign, Play On visit: www.rfu.com/playon