Rugby World Cup signs Eurostar as official partner

by Sarah Woods, Brand Republic 07-Sep-06, 14:00

LONDON - Eurostar has become an official partner of the Rugby World Cup in a deal that will raise the profile of the train link with thousands of fans preparing to make arrangments to travel to the 2007 tournament in France.

The Rugby World Cup will take place in September and October 2007, with games to be played at venues across France except for a handful in Cardiff and Edinburgh. Eurostar expects to carry huge numbers of fans wanting to watch the home nations.

The partnership was made possible because of a link-up between Eurostar and French railway network SNCF, another official partner of the Rugby World Cup and a major shareholder in Eurostar, which will provide rail connections to games throughout France.

Simon Montague, director of communications at Eurostar, said: "This partnership is great news for rugby fans. As official partner, we're looking forward to carrying thousands of supporters from England and across the globe as they travel to France to support their teams."

The Rugby World Cup's partners also include Peugeot, Visa, EDF and its official sponsors include Heineken and human resources company Vediorbis.

England's group matches will kick off in Lens, near Lille, in northern France on September 8. The Stade de France in Paris will host England's clash with South Africa on September 14.

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