England Rugby Team Charity Match

Dear Supporter,

For RFU members and supporters, rugby is more than a game; it is life itself. It is your team, your club, your friends and fun, your guts and determination, your training, and, of course, your passion.

For the servicemen and women of our Armed Forces it is the same; their service is more than a job, it is their life. They train, work, play with the same dedication and passion and their unit is as important to them as your team is to you.

That is why sport, and especially rugby, holds a very special place in our servicemen’s hearts and why rugby players understand. A rugby player knows what it takes to build a team and face a formidable opponent. A rugby player knows all about taking knocks and getting injured. A rugby player can only try to imagine what it must be like to lose a limb while going to help a mate.

That is why rugby is supporting our wounded and why we are asking you to go the extra mile to get to Twickenham on the 20th September. We want to show the men and women of our Armed Forces that we appreciate them, support them and, if they are wounded, will help them.

This is more than a game.

I look forward to seeing you at Twickenham.

With thanks

Bryn Parry

Help for Heroes

Ticket sales for the 'Help for Heroes' match on September 20, are set to go past the 30,000 mark this week with Twickenham Stadium opening up the middle tier to meet the increasing demand of fans wishing to attend this unique occasion. This week has seen unprecedented traffic ‘crash’ the H4H Rugby web site with a four-fold surge of nearly 80,000 hits as the Nation returned to work on Monday.
Along with the ticket rush, the sponsor family has also grown with new partners joining the sponsor family headed by Platinum Sponsors Investec, Lord Ashcroft and Nintendo. This week LBC – London’s biggest commercial station joined Artemis in the Gold category and only two silver sponsorships remain alongside Paradigm, General Dynamics, Army RU, EADS-UK, Eurocopter, Cadbury, MAN-ERF and Nice Rugby Club.

The aim of the match is to raise £1 million for Help for Heroes who provide help for the rehabilitation of British service personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan while they recover at two key centres, Selly Oak in Birmingham and Headley Court in Leatherhead, Surrey and those who care for them.

Two star studded teams, the Help for Heroes XV and the International XV will feature rugby legends including Lawrence Dallaglio, Martin Johnson, Kenny Logan, Scott Gibbs and Jonah Lomu along with a number of excellent players representing the armed forces.

Prior to the game the players will meet on Wednesday September 17 and that afternoon attend a reception at Number 10 Downing Street, hosted by the Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown who is giving the game his full support.

The teams will then train the next day and at a free open training session at Twickenham Stadium on Friday September 19 from 10.00am before playing the game on Saturday September 20, kick off 2.30pm.

ENGLAND RUGBY CHARITY MATCH TICKETS