- Land Rover is a Worldwide Partner for Rugby World Cup 2015 and is supplying all 96 mascots for every fixture during this year’s Tournament.
- Majority of Rugby World Cup 2015 mascots to be selected from the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup.
- Stockport Rugby Club player, Ethan Hofton, was one of the first of Land Rover’s Rugby World Cup 2015 mascots to be selected
- Land Rover to offer two mascot places to the public during the Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham on May 30th
Whitley, UK, 28th April, 2015. Land Rover recently surprised 12 year old Ethan Hofton from Manchester with the news that he was one of the first Rugby World Cup 2015 official mascots to be selected.
Land Rover is recruiting all 96 mascots for the Tournament, with the majority of these coming from the UK, through the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup; a series of national grassroots rugby festivals run in conjunction with all 12 Premiership Rugby clubs.
Ethan, who plays rugby for Stockport Rugby Club, was selected following his audition to be a Rugby World Cup 2015 mascot at the Sale Sharks Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup in which he offered the following advice to the nation’s captains; “If you lose, at least you got second place!”
Land Rover along with Sale Sharks captain Dan Braid and team mates surprised Ethan with the news during his science lesson at King David’s High School to the shock and awe of his classmates.
Commenting on the moment he found out, Ethan said: “It was a big surprise when the players walked in with my P.E. teacher so I initially thought I was in trouble: When I found out that I had won the chance to be a mascot I was over the moon and I can’t wait to see what game I will be a part of.”
World Cup Winners Lewis Moody and Jason Robinson will be reviewing auditions from the 12 Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup festivals, with the winning mascots judged on a number of criteria including how well they deliver their audition, their passion, enthusiasm and originality.
Like Ethan, a selection of mascots selected through the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup will be surprised with the news, although all successful mascots will be informed by Land Rover in the coming months.
There is still a chance for young rugby players and fans to get involved as Land Rover is going to be auditioning youngsters pre-match at the Premiership Rugby Final, Twickenham on May 30th. Auditions will be open to members of the public and held outside the stadium in the South Car Park, with no tickets to the Premiership Rugby Final required to take part.
