England Rugby Stars Surprise School Via Holograms
O2’s 5G network was able to surprise a group of schoolchildren with a ‘world first’ virtual rugby PE lesson by projecting England rugby stars Ellis Genge, Jack Nowell and Henry Slade as 4k holograms.
The England rugby team are currently operating under COVID restrictions due to their participation in the Guinness Six Nations tournament, so have been unable to meet fans in person. Ahead of England’s game against Ireland on Saturday 12th March at Twickenham, O2 helped the England rugby team see fans face-to-face for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Using Portl, a high-spec device that uses hologram technology to project users in 4k resolution, Genge, Slade and Nowell gate-crashed the PE lesson at Summerhill Academy in Bristol, operating on O2’s 5G mobile network.
Steve Grainger, Director of Rugby Development at RFU, said, “Engaging with local communities is at the heart of the work that we do and helps to inspire a new generation of players across the country. Due to the pandemic, this type of technology is a great tool to bring fans closer to the players and helps act as a huge motivation For Eddie Jones and the team when they step onto the pitch.”
The players even took the time to take the rest of the lesson, leading the training drills and concluding with a touch rugby match with the stars shouting instructions and encouragement.
Nowell added, “It’s been a real tough last few years for so many people and we’ve been unable to engage with our fans and the British public in a way that we’ve been used to so this was great fun to do this with the schoolchildren in Bristol.”
