After taking in 15 countries over the course of 12 months, the international part of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour has drawn to a close with a three day trip to France.

Champagne Rugby

Day one of the tour saw the Webb Ellis Cup take in some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks, before Land Rover took the trophy on a drive out of Paris to the famous Champagne region. The latest Least Driven Path was accompanied by Land Rover Ambassador and former French international Dimitri Yachvili, a member of the France team that reached the final of Rugby World Cup 2011, as well as Rugby World Cup legend and compatriot Sylvain Marconnet, the most capped prop in French Rugby history. The pair made the trip to Epernay and the surrounding villages, delivering the Webb Ellis Cup to local club Rugby Epernay Champagne, where they joined in a game with children from the club’s youth section in the presence of the trophy.


Land Rover Ambassador Yachvili, who gained 60 caps for his country, commented: “It was a fantastic experience to be able to give the children of Rugby Epernay Champagne the chance to see the Webb Ellis Cup and it was fun to join in their rugby activity. Seeing their enthusiasm for the game – and some of the skills on show – we might even have witnessed some of the future stars of French rugby in action!”

The Webb Ellis Cup then rounded off the first day of the tour with a visit to Paris Olympique Rugby Club, before visiting the Lycee Carnot the following day, where aspiring rugby players showed how the excitement is starting to build for Rugby World Cup 2015.

Rugby v Handball

The final day of the International Trophy Tour kicked off with the very last DHL Rugby v the World Challenge. After a gripping series of sporting challenges including sumo, gymnastics and polo among others, it was the turn of handball to take on rugby. Legendary France forward and tough tackler Serge Betsen stepped up to challenge national icon and handball superstar Jackson Richardson. With the final Rugby v the World crown up for grabs, there was much drama at CSM Gennevilliers Rugby as the two athletes stepped into the unknown and tested their sporting skills to the limit.

Adrian Knight, Marketing Manager of Land Rover France, said: “As the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour completes its year-long journey, Land Rover is extremely proud to have brought rugby to a host of people all around the world, often including new audiences in remote places and communities to help England Rugby 2015 grow excitement for Rugby World Cup 2015. It is grassroots clubs worldwide, like Rugby Epernay Champagne, where the stars of the game hail from where the sport derives its unique values; the camaraderie, the sportsmanship, the passion. These are the clubs at the heart of the game that Land Rover will look to celebrate during Rugby World Cup 2015 through our ‘We Deal In Real’ campaign.”

Michel Akavi, CEO DHL Express France, said “In France, we are as passionate about rugby as in the UK because of our strong rugby tradition. As a partner of Rugby World Cup 2015, DHL France has been very proud to welcome the last round of the Trophy Tour and happy to celebrate, during the three days visit, the values of speed, teamwork, fair-play and passion we share with rugby. These values inspire our day to day work and the excellence we deliver to our customers.”

Embassy finale

The last event of the Trophy Tour saw the British Ambassador to France open the doors to his residence to host 20 children from local clubs and schools for a five-a-side tournament. Children from The British School of Paris, Sporting Club Universitaire de France, Clichy and Red Star (St Ouen) were joined by Wales and Racing Métro centre Jamie Roberts for the exciting event. This was followed by the Webb Ellis Cup as guest of honour at a special reception for the local rugby community.

British Ambassador to France, Sir Peter Ricketts, said: “It was an honour to host the final event on the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour here in Paris: an exciting part of the build-up to this great Tournament. France is a passionate rugby nation and this was shown by the excitement around the Webb Ellis Cup during its visit.”

France in Pool D

Rugby World Cup, the third largest global sporting event behind the Olympics and Football World Cup, takes place in England and Cardiff between 18 September and 31 October. The tournament will be hosted in 13 venues in 11 cities across the country. France are in Pool D along with Ireland, Italy, Canada and Romania. They will play their matches at Twickenham and the Olympic Stadium in London, Stadium MK in Milton Keynes and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. All remaining tickets are on sale at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com.

Watch France's Rugby World Cup archive

Tour draws to a close

This was the 15th and final stop on the Trophy Tour which has reached the end of its 12-month journey around the world as part of a celebration of rugby. Previously the Webb Ellis Cup has visited Japan, Australia, Fiji, Madagascar, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, USA, UAE, China, Italy, Romania, Canada and Germany.

This was the first time that rugby’s most coveted prize has been showcased around the world and was delivered in partnership with Land Rover and DHL – two long supporters of the game and Rugby World Cup 2015 Worldwide Partners.

On 10 June the Webb Ellis Cup will embark on a 100-day journey around the UK and Ireland. Click here to find out more information.