Rugby
50 Days to Rugby World Cup 2015!
The countdown continues! As Rugby World Cup 2015 organizers ramp up Tournament preparations and put on a Trophy Tour around the British Isles, DHL is working hard behind the scenes to deliver the team’s training equipment throughout the Tournament.
The excitement is building – Rugby’s pinnacle event is now only 50 days away! On September 18, host England will line up against Fiji for the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2015.
England 2015, the RWC 2015 organizers, are busy as ever. Not only are they in the final stages of preparation to put together one of the largest sporting events in the world, they are also busy showing the coveted Webb Ellis Cup around Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England before it lands at Twickenham stadium for the Opening Ceremony on September 18. This ‘domestic’ Trophy Tour follows the successful international Trophy Tour, delivered in association with DHL, which brought the Webb Ellis Cup and Rugby excitement to fans in 15 countries. Find out where the Trophy will be next at www.rugbyworldcup.com/trophy-tour/events.
On September 18, host England will line up against Fiji for the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2015.
Beyond the Trophy Tour, Rugby themed events are taking place across the UK as part of the Festival of Rugby 2015, which is being put on so that everyone can get involved in the celebration of this massive year for the game. Just yesterday the Harlequins made the most of the Festival by filling the famous Twickenham Stoop. Visit www.festivalofrugby2015.com for more and learn how you can host an event.
Rugby DNA
The logistics behind Rugby World Cup 2015 is also a massive undertaking, which is why DHL was brought on board early – two years out to be exact.
You could say that Rugby is part of DHL's DNA. The world’s leading logistics provider has wide-ranging Rugby partnerships from grassroots level to the professional game in some of the world’s most Rugby-crazed nations. After the huge success of RWC 2011 in New Zealand, it was only natural that DHL would line up again to help deliver the sport’s global showpiece to millions of enthralled fans around the world.
Items such as scrum machines, tackle bags, ice baths and balls all have to be moved across 89 team base locations, often overnight.
A logistics Scrum
DHL is providing a comprehensive range of logistics services before, during and after the six-week Tournament, including handling the teams’ equipment, stadium infrastructure and fit out, volunteer uniforms and international ticket distribution, to name but a few.
Items such as scrum machines, tackle bags, ice baths and balls all have to be moved across 88 team base locations, often overnight.
The company’s main job will be transporting the equipment for each of the 20 teams participating in RWC 2015 – a job that can be divided into two tasks: the international moves, which involve delivering each team’s kit – which average some four tons – from their home country to England and Wales; and the domestic moves, which include moving all of the team’s equipment in and around the various venues and team bases. Items such as scrum machines, tackle bags, ice baths and balls all have to be moved across 89 team base locations, often overnight.
Twenty teams, multiple training bases and 13 match venues equals an enormous organizational effort. DHL anticipates needing an average of two 18-ton vehicles per team to ensure everything can be moved according to the schedule. DHL will also supply each team with a kit van for the duration of the Tournament enabling them to shuttle smaller items to each venue and training location.
Great is in the detail
The challenges are certainly not foreign to DHL, which not only handled logistics at RWC 2011, but is also behind the scenes at a number of international sporting events, including Formula 1 and Formula E, the all-new fully electric race series. Meticulous planning has been the name of the game. Building on the learnings from 2011, DHL went right to work profiling the material they would be transporting and where they would be delivering it to. It’s extremely important to know weights, dimensions, and any nuances that might be easily overlooked.
With DHL and England 2015 going to this level of detail, Rugby World Cup 2015 is well set to deliver some of the greatest on-pitch moments in rugby history.
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