Two Years to Go until the first game of RWC 2015 evening
I was at Twickenham yesterday, the home of the "RFU" but as that is seen as the harsh end of the game ("The Blazers") it is being morphed slowly into "English Rugby". I'd have liked "Twickenham" to have had a higher profile but we are where we are. At least the new logos - English Rugby" will sit side by side with "RFU" for a while yet.
Contrast this with the new logo from the IRB called "Impact" probably the worst I had ever seen. It uses the initials IRB on their side so it makes the I of Impact and then the letters MPACT run across the page/goalpost/whatever so you finally work out it reads IMPACT. The colours are not the usual green and blue of the IRB and instead look like an ad for the All Blacks. Goodness knows How many millions of pounds was spent on that design......I doubt if it will last through to the RWC in Japan in 2019 as the Japanese will struggle a) to translate its meaning and b) pronounce it in English......
Anyway, we assembled at 12noon for the third meeting of the Area 2 SE RWC 2015 Legacy Board and finally finished at 5pm. We had a series of discussions and presentations and by the end we had formed three workshops which will meet separately before our next meeting in November. Our board is knitting nicely together and we have the makings of some excellent projects.
At 6pm we welcomed over 150 rugby members from 81 clubs drawn from Areas 2 and 3 in the SE. They were able to see the revamped Museum, have a courtesy drink and supper before a series of presentations explaining the English RWC 2015 strategy and then how the Legacy fitted into the larger picture. In the Q&A afterwards ticketing was the biggest issue.
I sat with John Webster, Stephen Pearson and Ronnie Lamb from the OURFC.
We were joined by the William Webb Ellis Cup and many of us had our photos taken holding the cup.
The whole evening was a great success......which pleased me as I had proposed the idea of using the "two years to go day" for the Legacy Boards and to have the cup there for everyone to see at our first board meeting on 24th May 2013.