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Managing Director, PRO12 Rugby
Welcome
After waiting all summer to get back into the fast-
paced action of the Guinness PRO12, the first two
Championship rounds have delivered with the type
of excitement that the fans, players and coaches were
hoping for.
Already we have seen some thrilling rugby – including some upset
away wins – which has set the bar high as all of our clubs have their
sights fixed on reaching our third ‘Destination Final’ in Dublin’s Aviva
Stadium on May 27.
Since tickets were made available last month, sales have been very
strong as fans have availed of our Early Bird rates on
Ticketmaster.iewhere you can save up to 20 per cent if you buy before January 2, 2017
– which is all part of our ‘Fans First’ philosophy.
Ensuring that fans of all our clubs get the opportunity to see the great
rugby that the Guinness PRO12 has to oer, I was thrilled to see the
successful debut of the new 4G surface at Scotstoun Stadium last
weekend as Glasgow Warriors and Leinster Rugby produced a thriller.
In the past, severe weather has forced games in Glasgow to be called
o, but now with their new pitch, not only will fans feel confident that
fixtures will go ahead, the crisp playing surface will produce plenty of
positive play.
In last weekend’s game between two of our former champions, our
fans in the stadium and watching live on Sky Sports saw 58 points
scored in a game where o-loads flowed and searing line breaks
caught the eye. Every try-scorer on the day was a current international
player and in a season which will end with a British & Irish Lions tour
to New Zealand, Tommy Seymour’s four tries will certainly make head
coach Warren Gatland take notice.
Of course it’s not just coaches like Warren Gatland or Gregor
Townsend at Glasgow Warriors who will be beaming at Tommy
Seymour’s performance, any of you who have selected the Scotland
winger in your Guinness PRO12 Fantasy Rugby teams will be very
pleased with the six tries he has scored in the first two rounds!
If you haven’t signed up to our new Guinness PRO12 Fantasy Rugby
team then be so be sure to do so and play against your friends as there
are some great prizes to be won.
Finally, it’s great that we have had such an exciting start to the
Championship season to celebrate Guinness continuing their
title sponsorship for another four years. This is fantastic for the
Championship and it’s a relationship that enables us to constantly
improve the Guinness PRO12 alongside our other existing partners
Specsavers and Rhino Rugby.
Enjoy the game,
Martin Anayi