Exeter chosen as Rugby World Cup team base

The University is one of 41 approved team bases confirmed by organising committee England Rugby 2015 for the 20 competing teams in next year’s tournament, which takes place in England and in Cardiff between September 18 and October 31.

The team bases were selected using strict criteria, which included offering an outdoor pitch, indoor training facility, a swimming pool, gym and accommodation.

The base will be utilised by the competing teams in both the lead up to, and during, the six week event, and must meet international team training standards. Match venue locations have also been taken into account as part of the selection programme.

Assistant Director Sport, Neil Sheppard, said the University was “delighted to be part of such an important sporting event”. He said: “We are very much looking forward to hosting Tonga. It is fantastic that the World Cup is coming to Exeter and gives us a fantastic opportunity to showcase the city and University. We are particularly proud of our rugby programme here. We work closely with Exeter Chiefs and are honoured to support players at an international level. 

“The recent re-development of our Athlete Development Centre and re-surfacing of our rubber-crumb pitch make us the perfect venue for a visiting team and I hope that having Tonga here will inspire students. It’s been an excellent year for Rugby at the University and this is the icing on the cake.”

The city of Exeter has also been confirmed as the location for two other teams at the World Cup, with Woodbury Park and Bicton College hosting Romania and Georgia respectively.

England Rugby 2015 CEO, Debbie Jevans said:  “We are committed to ensuring that all participating teams have the optimum training environments available to them throughout the Tournament and in this regard we are delighted to announce our 41 official Team Bases for the event. Rugby, rightly, is at the heart of all our planning and we have worked closely with the teams to ensure that they have access to facilities and a Team Base that meet their individual needs.”