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World Cup: England Rugby 2015 name Prince Harry as honorary president

Jonny Wilkinson and Prince Harry
Image: Jonny Wilkinson and Prince Harry

Prince Harry has been appointed as an honorary president of England Rugby 2015 to mark a year to go the start of the Rugby World Cup.

The prince, who is a vice-patron of the RFU, took part in a photo-call with former World Cup-winning fly-half Jonny Wilkinson at Rugby School, the birthplace of the sport, to promote the tournament.

"The prince is a great rugby fan and recently inspired us all with the Invictus Games," said England Rugby 2015 chief executive Debbie Jevans.

"We have no doubt that he will help us achieve our aim of staging a tournament that reaches out to new and existing rugby fans."

Rugby School was the place where in 1823, according to folklore, William Webb Ellis invented the sport by picking up a football and running with it in his hands. A plaque commemorating the event was erected in the school in 1900 and the trophy awarded to the winners of the Rugby World Cup is named the Webb Ellis Cup.

Tickets for the tournament, which is being played mainly in England with some matches in Wales, are on sale until September 29 after which those for over-subscribed games will be decided via a ballot.

Jevans added: "Our plans are fully on track and we are very pleased with the demand for tickets since they went on general sale on September 12.

"We still have a year of hard work ahead of us but with the team bases announced, the venues and city plans being finalised, excellent support from our stakeholders and tickets on sale we are able to move forward with confidence."

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