“Ireland has a real passion for rugby and that’s what we wanted to be part of again.” Such were the words of Canterbury CEO Chris Stephenson (right) when Sport for Business caught up with him for a chat in the midst of launching Irish Rugby‘s new look at Carton House yesterday.
“When I joined the company back in 2009 we had to solve the problems that had led to administration and a refocus on the core strength of rugby was an essential path back to being a successful business.”
“There had been a great partnership with Ireland, stretching across the 2007 World Cup where it was one of the five countries we had on board.”
“Getting back into the green was a long term objective and when the previous suppliers decided to opt out of their contract, we were ready to start the conversation that has led to today.”
“A lot of planning and preparation goes into a new kit, from a design, manufacturing and marketing perspective.”
“We are an English based company, employing 50 people in Stockport and our relationship with the RFU going into a year of hosting the Rugby World Cup is obviously very important.”
“Ireland though is special when it comes to the sport.”
See what it was like behind the scenes at the launch of the new Irish Rugby kit
“We have an existing and recently extended relationship with Leinster Rugby so we know many of the players and have worked with Joe Schmidt.”
“That, together with our longer term history of being there for the Grand Slam in 2009, means we understand what makes the sport tick here, in a way that is very special across the world of sport.”
“Putting the fans to the fore in this launch is something we have been keen to do and found great support from the IRFU.”
“Having Three on board as a new sponsor, with a strong track record, motivation and ability to engage fans is another winner and it’s an important factor that all the parties here with us today, and over the coming years have a strong common goal.”
“We have England, Ireland, Japan and the winner of Russia against Uruguay wearing Canterbury kit at the World Cup in 2015.”
“Each country will have a bespoke kit and plan around making that a major part of the fan experience.”
“We will learn from working with each partner and some of that will be rolled out to the other countries but every one will be different in its own way.”
“‘#TogetherforIreland’ is the theme for the launch and we are delighted that it is spreading like wildfire across social media.”
“Our team of five people on the ground in Ireland have been building relationships with our key retail partners, all of whom share the passion for rugby that is important to us.”
“This is the start of a special year in Rugby and hopefully a very special chapter in Ireland’s place within the sport. We are looking forward to being part of that.”
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