Wilkinson Confirmed As O2 Rugby Ambassador

O2, partner of England rugby, has confirmed former England and Toulon star Jonny Wilkinson as a rugby ambassador for 2015, following his involvement with the O2 Touch Tour earlier this year.

Wilkinson, who won 91 caps for England, will be supporting O2’s Wear the Rose campaign, which aims to get the public to support the national team as it competes for the Rugby World Cup this September.

Wilkinson will be involved in O2’s sponsorship and advertising activity, from grassroots events like the O2 Touch Tour to providing exclusive sports experiences, offers and content through the O2 Priority platform.

Jonny Wilkinson said: “I’m thrilled to be joining O2 and supporting their 2015 plans. We’re working on inspiring the nation to get behind England rugby. We’ll be touring the country, offering support and guidance to young people by showcasing what rugby can do and creating exclusive rugby experiences for O2 customers.

The O2 Touch Tour will see Wilkinson work with a group of 250 unemployed 16-24 year olds, recruited and mentored through O2’s Think Big programme, as they run four touch rugby tournaments throughout the country.

After travelling to Loughborough and Bath over the last two weekends, the tour will be visiting Manchester on Saturday 11 July at the Manchester City FC’s Etihad Campus, Manchester City FC and London on Saturday 26 July at Allianz Park, home of Saracens RFC.

Gareth Griffiths, head of sports sponsorship, O2 added: “From Wear the Rose through to O2 Touch and our work with Think Big, this is an incredibly exciting time for O2 and England Rugby.

“We’ve already seen how passionate Jonny is about the power of support and he shares our view that rugby has opportunities for everyone. We’re really excited to see what we can achieve together.”