The oldest trophy in world rugby arrived in Northern Ireland today as part of a tour of Ireland and the UK ahead of this year’s Rugby League World Cup.
Thomond Park in Limerick will be the only Irish venue to host a match in this year’s Rugby League World Cup tournament, which is being hosted by Wales and England. The home of Munster Rugby will see Ireland play Australia in their Group A clash on November 9th in front of an expected global TV audience of over 20 million viewers.
Mayor of Derry, Councillor Kevin Campbell was joined at Guildhall today by representatives of Fáilte Ireland and Rugby League Ireland, as well as representatives of Shannon Development and the Shannon Conference and Sports Bureau who successfully bid to have the World Cup group tie played in Ireland.
Speaking today, Mayor Campbell said: “I want to congratulate everyone involved in bringing the Rugby League World Cup to Ireland in a move that will help to promote the game in Ireland as well as showcase this Island to a huge international audience, in that Rugby League football is currently the most popular sport in Australia and the most watched sport on Australian television.”
The Mayor added: “As we celebrate our City of Culture status this year, I would like to extend my welcome to sporting and tourism representatives to the city, the inclusion of today’s event in our diverse cultural calendar is a optimum opportunity to highlight the talented and thriving rugby community here in the city whilst offering the chance to honour sporting professionals worldwide.”
RLWC2013 General Manager, Sally Bolton commented: “It is fantastic for us to have our Trophy, the oldest trophy in world Rugby, visiting Ireland. It has visited many historic locations already, so to add Derry’s city walls and Guildhall to this list is great for us. We hope it inspires Irish sports fans to get behind their team for the game against Australia at Thomond Park in November.”
The 2013 tournament will be contested by 14 teams including Ireland, Australia, England, New Zealand, Samoa, Wales, Fiji, France, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Tonga, Cook Islands, Italy and the United States. New Zealand are the defending champions, having defeated Australia in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup final.
Shannon Development and the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau teamed up with Rugby League Ireland and Thomond Park in July 2011 to launch a successful bid for Limerick’s right to host a game in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. Thomond Park is amongst a list 20 tournament host venues, including Wembley Stadium in London, Old Trafford in Manchester, and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Further details on the 2013 Rugby League World Cup are available from www.rlwc2013.com. Tickets for the Ireland v Australia game on Saturday, 9th November are on sale at www.ticketmaster.ie.
