O2 ‘ultimate Fan’ Recalls Rugby Experience

O2’s Ultimate Fan campaign came to an end during the QBE Autumn Internationals with England rugby fan Robin Hunter taking to the Twickenham pitch and lining up with the England management to help sing the national anthem against the All Blacks.

Robin (pictured above, second from the left) commented: ‘From a young age I have loved the camaraderie of being in a team, or being part of a crowd. A family member got me into rugby very early on so I have been brought up with a sense of what the sport means and what it means to support England.’

Robin, from Plymouth, won the opportunity after defeating a series of other hopefuls to be crowned England’s Ultimate Fan as part of a rugby competition from O2 Priority.

As well as being at the heart of the action against New Zealand, the O2 customer’s prize also included spending a day in camp at Pennyhill Park, shadowing the England Rugby Performance Team.

To prove he was the Ultimate Fan, Robin was shortlisted from a live rugby Q&A on Twitter that ran over five nights in the Spring. He then joined England’s summer training camp in Loughbrough, where he had to complete a series of tasks against a host of other England Rugby fans and O2 customers.

Firstly, he had to take on a catching challenge with the help of the England Rugby team to see who catch and hold the most rugby balls.

Next the competitors moved on to show off their smoothie-making skills, proving that knowledge of nutrition is key to elite rugby, with the England Rugby team taking the taste test.

Finally, Robin’s passion for rugby was put to the ultimate test in an interview with the England Rugby players.

Gareth Griffiths, head of sports sponsorship at O2, added: ‘We’re passionate about rugby and we know our customers are too, so what better way of celebrating this than by rewarding the most dedicated fan with an unparalleled Priority experience. Robin showed us what being an England Rugby fan is all about. Commitment, dedication, and an unwavering love for the English rugby rose. He fought off tough competition to prove he is the inaugural O2 Ultimate Fan. Through our partnership with England Rugby we are proud to have helped make this dream come true for an O2 customer.’

England’s 2014 rugby campaign also came to an end this weekend with victory over Australia.