The Delivery is in the Detail – Part 3

The pool stage of Rugby World Cup 2015 is over and some teams are going home. Take a look behind the scenes at RWC2015 logistics in motion and discover what it took to get Team USA and Team Ireland to London.

Watch a Rugby match and you’ll see a lot of moving parts. To the untrained eye it looks chaotic and confusing. But where outsiders see chaos, Rugby fans see choreography. And what might seem confusing to Rugby newcomers is absolutely clear to veterans of the game.

Delivering the year’s biggest sporting event is no different. The logistics business is constantly in motion. Coordination, teamwork and a can-do attitude are paramount to success. 

“It’s been months in the making. It’s been a small army of planners.”

Months in the making
As the Official Logistics Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015, DHL is working hard to deliver Tournament and team equipment from around the world. It’s been a massive coordination process, working with all 19 teams who have travelled to England and Wales, coordinating with the venues and equipment providers, and finalizing the movement schedule.

“It’s been months in the making. It’s been a small army of planners,” says Kevin Battle, USA Rugby Baggage Master.

In fact, DHL has been working for nearly two years to prepare and plan the logistics behind the Tournament. Working with teams like USA and Ireland is especially rewarding and builds on our national partnerships with each team.

“When you work with a global partner, they understand the challenges we are going to face,” says Nigel Melville, USA Rugby CEO. “They understand them better then we do.”

“The relationship between USA Rugby and DHL is very important,” says Eric Vuyk, DHL Express USA. “They’re relying on us to make sure all of their gear is there so that they can focus on playing Rugby. And it’s our job to make sure we deliver it to them as promised on time.”

“[DHL] understands the [logistics] challenges better than we do.”

Crossing the big pond
Getting USA Rugby across the Atlantic meant some extra effort. The team was in Chicago for their final preparations before Rugby World Cup while the bulk of their equipment was still back at their home base in Boulder, Colorado.

The challenge was not lost on USA Rugby Team Manager, Tristan Lewis: “If you consider that we’re leaving a base right now that is Chicago and Boulder – because that’s where the bulk of the equipment is. We’re now going to head to England, and with that same amount of equipment from Brighton to Leads, and from Leads to London and from London to Gloucester. And DHL’s responsible for all that.” 

“All we do is put it in the crates that they load onto the truck and we don’t see it again until its unloaded, sitting in the hotel waiting for us to unpack,” he adds. “I think success will not be losing one item, having everything exactly where it needs to be when we need it to be there.”

“It’s quite a bit of a challenge to move that many people and that many bags,” says Battle. “With DHL as our partner I feel pretty confident and comfortable that things should go without a hitch.” 

“I think success will not be losing one item, having everything exactly where it needs to be when we need it to be there.”

Knock-out stage set
With Rugby World Cup 2015 now entering the knockout stages, DHL continues to focus on the details in the delivery – and right now that means helping 12 teams return home and 8 others focus on their all-or-nothing quarter final matches. So while all eyes will be turned to the Rugby action on the pitch, we’ll be behind the scenes to ensure the logistics stay in motion.

Watch Part 1 and Part 2 of our Delivery is in the Detail video series and discover what it takes to deliver the largest rugby event to the world.

If you prefer a good read, check out all of our stories about the logistics behind Rugby World Cup 2015, meet some of our DHL Match Ball Delivery Ambassadors, and more.