The Millennium Stadium will play host to eight matches including two of Wales’ pool matches and the quarter finals when the tournament kicks off from September 18, 2015.
Tournament Organisers, England Rugby 2015, Tournament Owners, Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) and Cardiff council marked the turning of the year by unveiling a Rugby World Cup 2015 mark on the city centre castle.
The illumination in Cardiff adds to the excitement the length and breadth of the nation and further afield as the world’s top 20 teams prepare to compete for rugby’s greatest prize: the Webb Ellis Cup.
At the home of Welsh sport, RWC 2015 will be the highlight of the 2015 sporting calendar following Wales’ RBS 6 Nations clashes with England and Ireland and warm up fixtures against Ireland (8 August) and Italy (5 September).
Millennium Stadium Manager Mark Williams said: “Rugby union fans all over Wales and the world will have already marked their diaries with a host of world-class rugby fixtures set for the Millennium Stadium in 2015.
“Rugby World Cup 2015 is the pinnacle of the sporting calendar and, with eight games planned for the Millennium Stadium, the tournament is sure to excite a nation of rugby lovers in Wales.
“Everyone at the stadium is looking forward to working towards delivering a fantastic feast of rugby in the run up to and including Rugby World Cup 2015 and, as we see in the New Year, it is fantastic to see the city centre lit up in recognition of the huge year of rugby ahead.”
Tournament Organisers have projected the value of £982 million to the UK economy when at least 460,000 visitors expected to travel into England and Cardiff for the tournament.
2014 marked a year of planning and continued progress for Tournament Organisers, England Rugby 2015, with tickets going on general sale in September. Over five million ticket applications were received during the 17 day application window, the highest demand for any Rugby World Cup to date, and 1.85 million tickets in total have now been sold, including record sales through the Official Supporters Tours and Hospitality programmes with 170,000 packages sold to date. Rugby World Cup 2015 is on course to be the best attended and most viewed Rugby World Cup.
England Rugby 2015, Chief Executive, Debbie Jevans, said, “It is hugely exciting to mark the year of the Rugby World Cup 2015. Our ambition is that England will feel like a ‘rugby nation’ throughout 2015 and that we deliver a tournament that both excites and inspires the nation while keeping rugby at its heart.
“2014 has been a very busy and productive year where, in addition to launching our ticket sales programme, we carried out 10,000 interviews in the search for ‘The Pack’, our 6,000 team of volunteers, confirmed the 41 Team training Bases, celebrated 500 days to go with the start of the international Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour and carried out our first testing exercise. As we move into 2015 we can now look forward with great anticipation and we will continue to focus on ensuring that the Tournament we stage is the best it can be.”
On Tyne Bridge in Newcastle, one of the 11 Rugby World Cup 2015 Host Cities, a RWC 2015 mark was displayed to celebrate the arrival of 2015.
Rugby World Cup Limited and World Rugby Chairman, Bernard Lapasset, added, “January 1 marks the beginning of the Rugby World Cup 2015 year and with the excitement and anticipation gathering pace, fans and the teams can look forward to a very special and record-breaking celebration of Rugby and the host nation. It really will be too big to miss.”
“As we enter the Rugby World Cup year we are in great shape and driven by a collective vision and strong teamwork between RWCL, England Rugby 2015 and the RFU. The foundations have been laid to ensure a competitive Tournament on the field, an exceptional experience off it, and the platform for unprecedented Rugby projection and growth. We are set for the best-ever Rugby World Cup.”
