Prince Harry joins the fun as big day looms ever closer

Last week was a momentous one for rugby fans in the build-up to the World Cup in September. Wednesday, June 10, was a milestone day – marking 100 days to go until the tournament gets under way and to mark the occasion, Prince Harry and Jonny Wilkinson were at Twickenham to wave off the Webb Ellis Cup as it set off on a tour of the UK. Over the next few months, the cup will zigzag its way across the country before finishing at Twickenham in time for the first match when England will play Fiji. The trophy will spend several days travelling through the South East and on Thursday, September 3, it will embark on a whistlestop tour of Kent. It will start the day at the Helen Allinson School in Dartford, a special school for young children with autism. Pupils will put on a display of tag rugby to mark the occasion. At midday, it will be moving on to Leeds Castle for a short stop before travelling to Aylesford Bulls RFC where the ladies’ rugby team are inviting the local community to attend a women’s skills training and have-a-go session. Finally, the trophy will end the day at KCC County Hall in Maidstone for a special evening to celebrate club rugby at all the county’s clubs. Its arrival in the county will remind those involved in the game and those who are interested in it that the tournament is about to start. In addition, the tour helps to celebrate work carried out by the clubs, counties and the RFU to provide a legacy which will permanently strengthen the game as a result of the tournament coming to England. This week also marks the launch of the Festival of Rugby with themed events taking place up and down the country to celebrate the sport’s biggest year. An estimated quarter of a million people nationwide are already set to attend over 300 events between June 10 and October 31. Here in Kent, events already planned include a cyclothon at Brands Hatch, a fun day at Aylesford Bulls RFC and a Day of Rugby on Dover Seafront. The idea is for as many people in Kent as possible to join in the fun locally which is why we have set up the Festival of Rugby, a chance for every rugby club, business and community in the county to celebrate the tournament. To register your event or find out more about events happening near you, go to www.festivalofrugby2015.com In this way, everyone can get involved in this historic sporting event.

2015 Rugby World Cup