Super Rugby - 'It's part of who we are'

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allblacks.com - (2/02/2010)


Rebel Sport Super 14 launch unveils new campaign!

Former captains of the 1996 Super Rugby teams joined forces with the current squad captains to mark the official launch of the 2010 Rebel Sport Super 14 Season in Auckland today.

The launch, themed around the history of Super Rugby, also unveiled a new campaign theme for the 2010 season:
Rebel Sport Super 14 – 'It’s Part of Who We Are'.

The men who led the original Super Rugby teams got together with the current captains at today’s launch at Trusts Stadium, in Waitakere. Attending the event were John Leslie (Highlanders), Richard Loe (Crusaders), Mark “Bull” Allen (Hurricanes), and Ofisa Tonu’u standing in for 1996 Blues captain Zinzan Brooke.

The Chiefs’ 1996 captain Richard Turner was scheduled to attend, along with the man who followed him into the Chiefs’ captaincy, Ian Jones. In a unique gathering of well-known faces of rugby, they were joined by current squad captains Jimmy Cowan (Highlanders), Richie McCaw (Crusaders), Andrew Hore (Hurricanes), Mils Muliaina (Chiefs) and Keven Mealamu (Blues).

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) Chief Executive Steve Tew said bringing together the old and new faces of Super Rugby helped to celebrate great Super Rugby moments, past and present.

“The TV commercial-based campaign seeks to re-ignite New Zealanders’ passion for the game. Rugby has faced some challenges and still does. We want to help spark that passion for a great game and a great competition. We want to inspire and create real excitement around Super Rugby,” Steve Tew said.
“This theme celebrates a history spanning 14 seasons of the competition, and reminds us of the great history of players, matches and exciting rugby moments which have occurred over time and which Super Rugby has continued to deliver since 1996.
“All five franchises – the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders – are committed to showcasing the best of rugby during this year’s Rebel Sport Super 14 season, to draw back the fans that have drifted away over recent years,” he said.

Competition sponsor Rebel Sport welcomed the campaign as a fitting way to mark the start of the 2010 season. Briscoe Group Chief Operating Officer Peter Burilin said:
“We at Rebel Sport are excited and delighted to be able to continue our ongoing support for one of the most exciting international provincial rugby competitions in the world,” he said.

This year’s Rebel Sport Super 14 gets under way on Friday 12 February with the Blues v Hurricanes at North Harbour Stadium. The very first Super Rugby match in 1996 saw the Blues beat the Hurricanes 36-28 at Palmerston North.

http://www.nzpaimages.co.nz/events.php?event_id=9598 : pictures