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| Webb Ellis Cup comes to Staffordshire and shares the stage with Rolf Harris!. | |||
The Webb Ellis Cup, the Rugby World Cup trophy, will be coming to Staffordshire next month as part of a nationwide tour which includes hundreds of events across the country. The tour will start in the Midlands on February 5 and will spend two days in Staffordshire on February 8 and February 9. The RFU hope that the Sweet Chariot tour will help to 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 the events in Sydney have 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, Partnerships, Appropriate facilities, Club/school links and Training and coaching, is a three-stage blueprint for community rugby in England. The trophy will start its Staffordshire tour at the RFU's Centre for Schools and Youth Rugby at Castlecroft in Wolverhampton and the neighbouring Wolverhampton RFC between 10am and 12 noon on Sunday February 8. The recently-formed England deaf rugby side will play Midlands invitation club the Guanos at Castlecroft later in the day. The Webb Ellis Cup will then be taken by a special trailer to the Walsall Art Gallery between 2.30 and 3.15pm where entertainer Rolf Harris may have to compete for attention with the Rugby World Cup when he visits Walsall Art Gallery on Sunday February 8. The visit of the musician and artist to an exhibition of portrait paintings featured on his recent BBC Television series co-incides with the display of the Webb Ellis Cup at the award-winning building. As an Australian the gold trophy may bring unhappy memories for Rolf of November 22 when Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal in extra time secured England their first Rugby World Cup. The Webb Ellis Cup will end the day at Burton RFC's Peel Croft ground (4-5pm) where they will be a TAG rugby demonstration and other rugby-related activities co-ordinated by Nic Scott, the RFU's rugby development officer for Staffordshire. On February 9 the trophy will start the day at Lichfield's Cooke Fields headquarters (9-11am) where there will be scrummaging and kicking activities for visitors and then be displayed at Stafford's Guildhall between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. The trophy will end the day in the Potteries at Stoke City football club's Britannia Stadium where there will be an RFU exhibition trailer on site and rugby demonstrations and activities. The trophy will then move on to the Isle of Man for the next leg of the Sweet Chariot tour which ends in Middlesex on May 29. During the trophy's stay in Staffordshire visitors will have the chance to have their photograph taken alongside the famous gold cup. The photographic policy introduced by the RFU for the Sweet Chariot tour will apply and details are available on the Staffordshire RFU website at www.staffsrugbyunionltd.co.uk |
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