As part of the ongoing Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour, the Webb Ellis Cup recently travelled to Buenos Aires, where Land Rover caught up with former Argentina Rugby captain and Rugby World Cup legend, Felipe Contepomi, who drove the Trophy into the suburbs of northern Buenos Aires to San Pedro School and Virreyes Rugby Club. The leading points-scorer for his country, Contepomi helped Premiership Rugby launch HITZ Argentina by conducting training sessions for the local children. An extension of the UK’s award-winning HITZ programme, which uses the core values of Rugby to overcome some of the great challenges facing young people today, HITZ Argentina will continue this work by helping tackle the problems faced by children in some of Buenos Aires’ toughest inner city areas. The programme will be supported in the region by Land Rover, who will fund three coaches who will be responsible for training young people on a day-to-day basis.
Speaking about club rugby in Argentina, Land Rover ambassador Contepomi said: “I think that club rugby is where we come from. It has always been the key fundamental building stone of rugby in Argentina and I think we have to keep it like that. For me rugby is more than just a professional career, it’s [about] where you started and where you finish as well. I think that everyone who plays professional rugby should go back to where he started and give back and keep doing what someone else did for them – give back to the upcoming generations.”
From there the Tour visited Montevideo to coincide with the Rugby World Cup 2015 qualification game that saw Uruguay take the final team spot at next year’s Tournament. On the latest Least Driven Path Land Rover drove the Trophy 80 miles to the east of the city to Punta del Este, with the picturesque backdrop of the Atlantic coastline.
Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Latin America, Terry Hill, commented: “The introduction of the HITZ programme to Argentina is very exciting, with huge potential to affect significant change through the positive impact that Rugby can have on young children’s lives. Land Rover is proud to be a partner of Premiership Rugby and the HITZ initiative, building on the brand’s commitment to all levels of the global game of Rugby, and the excitement on the faces of the locals on seeing the Webb Ellis Cup on the Least Driven Path, serves as a reminder of the passion that the region has for the game.”
