THE Webb Ellis Cup, the Rugby World Cup trophy, will be on display around Gloucestershire on April 22, 23 and 24 as part of the nationwide Sweet Chariot Tour which includes hundreds of events across the county.

The Rugby Football Union hopes that the Sweet Chariot Tour will help raise the profile of the sport both in traditional rugby-playing areas and in regions currently under-represented in the sport.

The euphoria that followed events in Sydney has been underpinned at grassroots level by the RFU’s Rugby Making An Impact Strategy aimed at increasing participation and retention in playing, coaching, officiating and administration.

IMPACT, which stands for Inclusion, Modernisation, Partnership, Appropriate facilities, Club/school links and Training and coaching, is a three-stage blueprint for community rugby in England.

The Gloucestershire RFU, alongside the RFU, have identified three major events where the cup will be on display together with the Sweet Chariot Tour exhibition unit – Hartpury College, College Green, Bristol and Cribbs Causeway.

The Sweet Chariot Tour exhibition unit will give the public the opportunity to have their photograph taken alongside the Webb Ellis Cup while there will also be several rugby displays and competitions to participate in.

At Cribbs Causeway, there will also be opportunities to kick for world cup glory in an inflatable kicking cage, score a try and provide commentary on Jonny Wilkinson’s winning drop goal.

The Sweet Chariot Tour kicks-off on Thursday at Gloucester’s Hartpury College where the Webb Ellis cup will join the Sweet Chariot Tour exhibition unit for a tag rugby festival for Gloucestershire primary schools. England and Gloucester international Phil Vickery will also be on hand to lend his expertises*.

However, to give more people the chance to see one of the sporting world’s most prestigious trophy’s the Webb Ellis Cup will go on whistle-stop tour to Heywood School in Sinderford before arriving at Thornbury RFC where England and Gloucester hero Trevor Woodman will kick-off a plethora of events to welcome the world cup.

South Gloucestershire Council Sports will host a schools’ tag tournament which will see 93 schools from the local area take part, all entering children who have not played rugby before. There will also be several rugby displays, face painting, fair ground rides, RHINO scrummaging machines as well as a live band who will be playing in the Chase de Vere Marquee.

To avoid traffic congestion Thornbury RFC have also organised a shuttle bus service to and from the ground. The pick-up point is situated next to Safeway’s opposite the Rock Street car park. The service will operate every 15 minutes from 4.15pm to 9.45pm and costs £1 return.

One day two of Gloucestershire’s Sweet Chariot Tour the Webb Ellis cup will visit Kingshill School in Cirencester where 12 sports college partner primary schools will be involved in a mini tag tournament before joining the exhibition unit at Bristol’s College Green. The world cup will then take to the road again to visit the home of Powergen Challenge Cup winners Bristol Shoguns at the Memorial Stadium.

Gloucestershire’s Sweet Chariot Tour will come to an end at Cribbs Causeway on Saturday where the Webb Ellis Cup will be on public display alongside the Sweet Chariot exhibition unit.

The Sweet Chariot Tour is entirely free to the public. However, there will be collection buckets for voluntary donations for the tour’s charity, the 'Wooden Spoon’.

The tour takes place in association with sponsors EA SPORTS, Ford, Holiday Inn, Land Rover and Lucozade Sport.

* subject to confirmation

Gloucestershire Sweet Chariot Tour Itinerary

Thursday April 22

9am-4pm Hartpury College (Sweet Chariot Tour exhibition unit. The Webb Ellis Cup will be at the college from 9am-1pm)

2pm-4pm Heywood School, Sinderford

5.45pm-8pm Thornbury RFC

Friday April 23

8.30am-11am Kingshill School, Cirencester

12pm-4pm College Green, Bristol (Sweet Chariot Tour exhibition unit. The Webb Ellis Cup will be present from 12.30pm-3.30pm)

4.15pm-7.15pm Memorial Stadium, Bristol

Saturday April 24

8am-7pm Cribbs Causeway (Sweet Chariot Tour exhibition unit and Webb Ellis Cup all day)