Land Rover, Mastercard and Tudor have been announced as global partners of the World Rugby U20 Championship 2018 in France, underscoring the success of the record-breaking event.
The tournament, which takes place from 30 May-17 June, is one of the highlights of the international calendar, showcasing the future stars of rugby on a global stage.
The 2017 edition in Georgia was a record-breaker on every level, smashing all fan-engagement and audience records as New Zealand were crowned champions for the sixth time.
- All 30 matches were broadcast live to 140 million homes in over 110 countries
- Attracting a younger audience, video views on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the official website totalled 39 million
- On Facebook alone, the 2017 tournament reached 57.5 million people (13.9 million in 2016) with 9.37m video views (5.67 million in 2016).
Land Rover and Mastercard, both Worldwide Partners of Rugby World Cup and Women’s Rugby World Cup, are partnering with World Rugby for their second U20 Championship, while Tudor make their debut as the official timekeeper of the tournament, having signed a multi-event agreement with World Rugby last November.
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “We are delighted to confirm our global partners for the World Rugby U20 Championship in France, reflecting the tournament’s attraction as a vehicle for reaching and attracting new audiences.
“This event is about world class preparation for the future stars of world rugby and announcing world class brands as global partners, reinforces the stature of the U20 Championship in the global marketplace.”
The world’s best U20 teams will play across three venues: Stade Aimé Giral in Perpignan; Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers and the Stade d’Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l’Amitié in Narbonne.
Tickets for the championship, which showcases the future stars of world rugby, went on sale on 6 March via www.ffr.fr, www.ticketmaster.fr and www.francebillet.com with prices reflecting the FFR’s ambition to attract new fans to the sport.
Tickets for the pool stages and the first positional play-off round range from €5 to €25, while tickets for the finals day range from €15 to €35.
Ten years on from the inaugural U20 Championship in Wales in 2008, the number of players to graduate from the tournament to the test arena now stands more than 570.
Sixty players have made the step since the last edition in Georgia, including eight players who graced that tournament, among them Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam winner Jordan Larmour.
They join the likes of Wales and British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton, New Zealand’s double Rugby World Cup winner Sam Whitelock, Australia’s David Pocock, Fiji’s Nemani Nadolo and France’s Yoann Maestri who all played in the inaugural tournament in 2008.
Source: www.worldrugby.org
