England fly-half Danny Cipriani is encouraging teenagers across Manchester to book a front row seat at the Rugby World Cup in September by finding a flag in the capital on Wednesday May 27.
One lucky 14-16 year-old will lead the teams out at a World Cup fixture in Manchester, experiencing first-hand the atmosphere and what it’s like to be a professional rugby player.
Over the next 11 weeks, Emirates, an Official Worldwide Partner for Rugby World Cup 2015, will be running a Find the Flag competition.
Emirates, along with Cipriani and a team of leading rugby players, will be challenging teenagers in host cities around England and Wales to find the hidden flag.
Once located, entrants will be able to upload their flag selfies, using the #EmiratesFlag to be in with a chance to lead a competing nation out onto the pitch during the Tournament later this year.
Cipriani, who was last week named in England’s World Cup training squad, said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for a teenager to lead out a team at the Rugby World Cup in front of 40, 50, 60 or even 90,000 people,” said Cipriani. “It will be a truly memorable experience.
“The first time I walked out at Twickenham, it was for Rosslyn Park, I was ten years old and it was before an England versus Barbarians game.
“It was an amazing day and something I repeated again at 11 and then 15 – I still remember those days fondly and now another teenager has the chance to experience what I did.
“It is a rare opportunity for someone to understand what a professional rugby player does before a game and to see firsthand the atmosphere and pressure before a game.”
And fellow England international Ben Foden described the opportunity as once in a lifetime and called for a big turnout for the Rugby World Cup treasure hunt.
“Rugby is coming home in this World Cup, so it’s great to have so many major cities involved with this campaign,” Foden added.
“That means there will be a flag in a city near you, you can go to Emirates’ social media pages where there will be clues and then it’s up to you to get out there and find the flag.
“The Emirates ‘Find a Flag’ campaign is brilliant because it’s aiming at 14-16 year olds, getting them involved in rugby and inspiring a generation of young people to get involved with the World Cup.
“Maybe we could even see a few of those faces in the white shirt of England in the future.”
Emirates ‘Find the Flag’ competition is encouraging young fans to celebrate rugby coming to their home city. By locating the hidden flag and sharing a selfie, fans will have the opportunity to win the chance to be an official Flag Bearer at Rugby World Cup 2015. Visit Emirates social channels to follow the flag.
Main image courtesy of Sale Sharks via YouTube, with thanks.
