Trophy visits Birmingham this week.

With a year to go until the first Rugby World Cup 2015 match at Villa Park is played, the Webb Ellis trophy will be visiting Birmingham on Thursday (25th September) to help start the countdown.

The trophy will spend the morning at Birmingham New Street Station, where members of the public will have the opportunity to be photographed with the cup from 9.30am. However, there will also be a media opportunity in Victoria Square at 12.30pm, when former England player and Rugby World Cup 2015 ambassador Will Greenwood, who was part of the winning 2003 World Cup squad, will be coaching pupils from Great Barr School and hosting games of tag rugby, alongside Rugby Football Union community coach Adam Blackford. The Webb Ellis trophy itself will also be in Victoria Square during this time.

Great Barr School is part of All Schools, an initiative which aims to increase the number of secondary schools playing rugby union. This is an initiative supported by Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Rugby Partnership as part of the Birmingham Rugby World Cup 2015 legacy.

Councillor Penny Holbrook, Cabinet Member for Skills, Learning and Culture at Birmingham City Council, said: “Hosting two of the Rugby World Cup 2015 games at Villa Park is hugely important for the city and the excellent work being done here to promote rugby union among our schools. I am delighted that the Webb Ellis trophy will be here to help us start the one-year countdown and grateful to Will Greenwood for taking the time to come and coach some of our pupils here in Birmingham – young people who could well go on to become the rugby stars of tomorrow.”