Rugby School’s bicentenary celebrations of the game of Rugby Football will begin in earnest this Sunday with the Global Pass launch.
The Global Pass will see 200 passes of a Gilbert anniversary ball around the globe over the next ten months, aided in its travels by DHL as Rugby School and England Rugby celebrate 200 years of the game.
The Global Pass will take place on The Close at Rugby School, the field that holds the famous pitches upon which William Webb Ellis first picked up and ran with the ball, giving birth to the game that bears his school’s name.
It is the first of a number of events at Rugby School to celebrate the bicentenary, and NextGenXV will be there every step of the way. That begins with reports from the Global Pass, followed by the England v Wales U18 Women’s game on the 5th March, the live streaming of the International 7s Tournament on the 25th and 26thMarch, U14 7s on the 1st April, U9s Rugby on the 7th April, U11s on the 8th, Vets 7s on the 10th, a re-enactment of the original game and legends events in June, and the live streaming of every single Rugby School 1st XV fixture in 2023.
Details of all of the events can be seen on the Rugby School Events site, and there is still space for teams to sign up to be a part of the celebrations, notably in the U9 and U11 Festivals.
You can also visit the site here: https://www.rugbyschool.co.uk/200-anniversary/events/
The Global Pass is the starting point though and will begin at 12.59pm on Sunday when a DHL remote control van delivers the Gilbert ball to the first passer. Among those passing the ball will be a number of special guests, including Mike Tindall MBE, RFU President Nigel Gillingham, Red Roses legend Emily Scarratt MBE, The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP (Department for Culture Media & Sport), Executive Head Master of Rugby School Group Peter Green, 1957 Rugby School XV captain, His Honour Giles Forrester, and current School XV captains, David Bennett and Livi Williams, as well as 140 assembled guests.
Once the ball has been passed among those in attendance, Boys XV captain Bennett will receive the ball last and will make his way for a short 7s tournament featuring Rugby School, Bromsgrove School, Mount St Mary’s College, and Uppingham School.
Both Uppingham and, of course, Rugby School will be in attendance for yet more 7s on the 25th and 26thMarch as they participate in the International 7s tournament, which will feature 20 teams from 11 different nations, including Japan, Chile, Georgia, and Canada, as well as New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia, and teams from the four home Unions.
The draw has yet to be fully announced but Rugby School look likely to meet schools from four different nations, including Australia and Chile, while Uppingham also look set to face sides from four other countries, including South Africa and Japan.
NextGenXV will be live streaming every minute of the action at the Rugby School International 7s.
The mini-tournament at the Global Pass this Sunday will see all four of the sides face each other in an hour and a half window between 1.15pm and 2.45pm, after which the ball will be returned to the DHL remote van.
Commenting on the Global Pass, Rugby School Executive Headmaster Peter Green said: “I have been a lifelong supporter of rugby – as player, coach and spectator – and have always been struck by the strong and enduring friendship that the game fosters, its sense of community and inclusivity wherever it is played, and the trust in each other that teams demonstrate on the pitch.”
“All of us at Rugby School are proud that the game of rugby – our game – is played and enjoyed by so many people. We are grateful to Gilbert Rugby and DHL for sponsoring this first event in a long list of celebrations throughout 2023.”
Global Pass 7s Schedule (Sunday 5th March):
1.15pm Rugby School v Mount St Mary’s College
1.30pm Bromsgrove School v Uppingham School
1.45pm Uppingham School v Mount St Mary’s College
2pm Bromsgrove School v Rugby School
2.15pm Rugby School v Uppingham School
2.30pm Mount St Mary’s College v Bromsgrove School
For more info on the 200th Anniversary Events at Rugby School, please visit this link: https://www.rugbyschool.co.uk/200-anniversary/events/
