Thursday 31st November 2013 KO 7.45pm
TO celebrate the 10th Anniversary of England winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Sportingclass and Harvey Thorneycroft Ltd are delighted to present the England v Australia Legends at Twickenham Stoop on Thursday October 31st, kick off is at 7.45pm.
Jason Leonard, Martin Corry, Jason Robinson, Phil Vickery, Josh Lewsey and many other members of the victorious 2003 squad will take on a formidable Australian team, that includes Stirling Mortlock, Al Baxter, Chris Whitaker and Richard Harry – and with a combined total of over 1,450 Test caps, it is certain to be a highly charged, competitive match. Proudly sponsored by Heathrow Express, these legendary players will be dusting off their boots to raise funds for two important charities.
This historic match will mark the start of a truly memorable weekend of celebrations marking 10 years since that unforgettable night when Martin Johnson lifted the Web Ellis Cup. England’s most capped international Jason Leonard said “We are delighted that so many of the boys have leapt at the chance to pull on an England shirt again and honoured that Australian legends are travelling half-way around the world to compete and help us put on a unique, never-to-be-repeated event. We will be raising valuable funds for the nominated rugby charities – it’ll be a great night for any England rugby fan, as well as all our Aussie mates over in the UK”. Both teams will play in a specially made kit from leading rugby brand Canterbury, to commemorate the 10th anniversary match.
World Cup winning former England Head Coach Sir Clive Woodward added, “November 22nd 2003 was a night that none of us will ever forget and it is great that so many of the World Cup winning squad are coming together to take on the Australians in this commemorative fixture. I am sure it will be a great night and although it is 10 years on, the rivalry is still as strong as ever. It should prove to be an interesting game and bring back some happy memories.”
Australian coach, Mike Doyle said “We have been overwhelmed by the interest of the former Wallaby players that we have contacted to be part of this incredible journey. We, as Australian Legends, have a proud history and to be given the chance to redeem the loss is a huge motivation for us.”
Jason Leonard and Richard Hill talk exclusively to Heathrow Express about their Legendary experience.
The excellent pedigree of rugby stars will playing for the proceeds from the match going to their nominated charities, Restart & the Injured Players Foundation.
THE TEAMS
ENGLAND |
AUSTRALIA |
Jason Leonard OBE |
Richard Harry |
ENGLAND ATTENDING IN NON-PLAYING CAPACITY
Sir Clive Woodward OBE | Lawrence Dallaglio OBE | Will Greenwood MBE | Ben Cohen MBE | Danny Grewcock MBE (Waterboy!) | Richard Hill MBE (Waterboy!) | Neil Back MBE | Paul Grayson MBE | Darren Garforth | Mark Regan MBE | Trevor Woodman MBE | Austin Healey | Mike Catt OBE
TICKETS
Tickets for the England Legends v Australia Legends Match on Thursday 31st October 2013 at The Stoop are...
On half way line (Block AD, AE, AF & FE)
£45
Blocks AC, AG, FC, FD, FF & FG
£30
All other blocks
£20
Seats for this match are available via the following outlets:
In person at:
The Twickenham Stoop, Langhorn Drive, Twickenham TW2 7SX
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE GATE
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ABOUT THE CHARITIES
RESTART is the new name for the RPA Benevolent Fund, which was established in 2001 to support professional players who have been forced to retire from the game due to serious injury or illness.
It is every rugby player’s dream to combine his job with his passion and wear the shirt for his team, his club and ultimately his country. Each year the game becomes faster, stronger and more powerful. Thankfully, most players avoid serious injury, but a professional rugby career can be threatened at any time: a bad tackle, a collapsed scrum, a serious concussion, an accident or illness off the pitch.
When the worst happens, Restart is there to pick up the pieces for players and their families. The charity provides financial, practical and emotional support in the following ways:
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Help with the cost of long term or on-going medical treatment
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Assistance to pay for equipment or home improvements to help with rehabilitation
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Support to attain qualifications and retrain in the event of a career-ending illness or injury
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A counselling service to help players and their families cope during difficult times
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Financial support if a player is unable to work as a result of illness or injury
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Medical research and injury prevention initiatives
Restart also funds the following RPA initiatives:
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The Joint Professional Players Insurance Scheme, which covers all Premiership and England Sevens RPA Members in the event of a career-ending injury.
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The Player Transition Programme, providing support and career development resources to all RPA Members during their first year of retirement from the game.
Restart is registered charity No. 1113160, formerly
To find out more about their work, click on the Restart logo.
THE RFU INJURED PLAYERS FOUNDATION (IPF) is a charity that looks after 132 clients and also has a valuable role in the prevention and management of injuries. For many years now, and uniquely amongst sports National Governing Bodies, the Rugby Football Union has insured all amateur players for serious and catastrophic injuries. The insurance cover has increased over the years and those injured prior to 1995 would have received a far smaller sum while those injured, say, in the 1980s or before received very little indeed.
In addition to this, SPIRE (Support Paraplegics in Rugby Enterprise) was created in 1993 by the then President of the RFU Ian Beer to help out when catastrophically injured players were having difficult times. Since its creation, the major donor has been the RFU, although donations have come from all levels of the game. The SPIRE capital fund has gradually been built up and invested to provide a sustainable income, which has been used to provide grants to the ex-players. Through SPIRE hundreds of grants have been made over the past 15 years.
SPIRE has changed its name and transferred its capital fund to the Injured Players Foundation, the charity being run by a new Board of Trustees. The new Board has been formed from the Trustees of SPIRE and new Trustees appointed by the RFU, which include experts in spinal rehabilitation. The Chairman is Ian Beer, who originally founded SPIRE.
Registered in England and Wales under number 6438698.
Registered Charity number 1122139.
To find out more about their work, click on the logo.