RWCL Appoints EY as the Official Business Advisor of Rugby World Cup 2015

Rugby World Cup Limited has announced the appointment of EY as the Official Business Advisor of Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.

As an Official Tournament Supplier, EY, one of the world’s leading professional service firms, will provide a full range of professional advisory services including tax and accounting for the tournament which kicks off on September 18, 2015 when hosts England take on Fiji at Twickenham.

The appointment of another globally-renowned brand as an official supplier further underscores Rugby World Cup’s stature as one of the world’s premier sporting events and a major worldwide brand.

Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “We are delighted to welcome EY as an Official Tournament Supplier for Rugby World Cup 2015. The appointment of a global leader in the accountancy, tax and advisory sector, is critical to the delivery of an event, which is now firmly established as one of the biggest and most popular in the world.”

“We look forward to collaborating with EY to deliver a record-breaking and special Rugby World Cup on and off the field that will inspire and engage new audiences and participants and drive the growth of Rugby worldwide.”

EY’s global vice-chair for advisory, Norman Lonergan, said: “EY is thrilled to be appointed as Official Business Advisor for Rugby World Cup 2015. Our involvement with Rugby World Cup helps to cement our position as a leader in the provision of professional services to global sporting events. We are looking forward to helping deliver a truly great Rugby World Cup, one that we hope will further grow the game of Rugby globally.”

The announcement follows the appointments of Heineken, Land Rover, Société Générale, DHL, Emirates and MasterCard as Rugby World Cup 2015 Worldwide Partners, Gilbert as Official Ball Supplier, Canterbury of New Zealand as Official Sportswear Supplier and Clifford Chance as Official Law Firm.

Editors’ Notes

About Rugby World Cup: Rugby World Cup is the financial engine behind unprecedented investment and growth in Rugby worldwide. The net Rugby World Cup surplus from the commercial success of France 2007 and New Zealand 2011 has enabled the International Rugby Board to invest more than £150 million in the Game between 2009 and 2012 and commit an anticipated injection of more than £180 million between 2013 and 2016 to underwrite a large range of major funding initiatives including annual national Union grants and strategic investments focusing on growing participation and increasing competition across all 121 national Member Unions affiliated to the IRB.

About England 2015: Rugby World Cup 2015, hosted in England between September 18 and October 31, will be a celebration of Rugby and its unique character-building values, exciting and inspiring the nation and the world to play and support the Game. England Rugby 2015 are the organising committee for Rugby World Cup 2015 and will deliver the six-week Tournament, hosted in 10 English cities and in Cardiff, Wales. Thirteen match venues will play host to the 48 games that will celebrate and engage more than two million spectators, including more than 400,000 international travelling fans.

Tackle Hunger: Tackle Hunger is a partnership between the International Rugby Board and its official humanitarian partner, the UN World Food Programme, which highlights the importance of good nutrition not just to play Rugby but to enable children to develop both physically and mentally. For Rugby World Cup 2015, the Tackle Hunger Million Meal Challenge aims to generate one million meals for the WFP school feeding programme to help nourish the bodies and minds of the world’s hungry. A series of planned activations including donation opportunities, social media activity and in-stadia messaging will encourage the Rugby family to take up the challenge to help build a brighter future for undernourished children. To find out more, visit www.irb.com/wfp>>

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For more information on how to purchase official travel and hospitality programmes, visit www.rugbyworldcup.com/supportertours and http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/hospitality.