Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong - the official hotel sponsor for 2012 Chartis Cup
Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong is the official hotel sponsor of the 2012 Chartis Cup.As part of the sponsorship, Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong will provide the rugby's world champions with its first-class accommodation, food and beverage offers, and will make the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong as the preferred hotel for their events.
"Sponsoring a sports organization like the Chartis Cup is a fantastic opportunity for Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong," said Karl Hudson, the hotel's general manager. "This sponsorship gives us great visibility in the market, while providing these rugby champions with the high-level of service and accommodation."
Blues coach Pat Lam and Wallabies legend George Smith will take charge of the BGC APBs for their historic Chartis Cup clash against English giants Saracens in Hong Kong next week.Samoa icon Lam will be head coach with Smith - veteran of 110 tests for Australia and the most-capped forward in rugby history - acting as his assistant. The star-studded BGC APBs will face Saracens at Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday, 9 June 2012, kick off at 6 pm.
"I'm really looking forward to being involved with a BGC APBs squad that contains so many world-class players," said Lam. "As a coach, you want to work with the best talent available and the line-up that has been assembled for the Chartis Cup certainly fits that description. We are relishing the challenge posed by the famous Saracens and it promises to be a fantastic game of rugby."
The BGC APBs squad includes New Zealand greats Mils Muliaina, Jerry Collins, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Rico Gear; Welsh legends Shane Williams and Martyn Williams; and the Tuilagi brothers, Alesana and Henry, from Samoa.
For Saracens, former England skipper Steve Borthwick will lead a powerful team that includes 2007 World Cup-winning Springbok captain John Smit and England internationals Richard Wigglesworth and Hugh Vyvyan.
"It is fantastic for the Hong Kong rugby community to have the chance to see so many great players in one match," said Trevor Gregory, chairman of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, which has given the Chartis Cup its official backing. "It is another example of how Hong Kong is now firmly established on the global rugby map and the HKRFU is delighted to support this landmark event."
The Chartis Cup will be the centrepiece of a day-long rugby festival at Hong Kong Stadium and nearby So Kon Po Sports Ground that will feature minis and veterans tournaments plus a family-friendly Rugby Village at the Indian Recreation Club that will boast F&B, a children's play area and big TV screens so fans can watch the day's international matches later in the evening.
Admission to the Rugby Village is free. And, as a bonus, the BGC APBs and Saracens players will drop by after the Chartis Cup to mingle with spectators and sign autographs. "We are now in the final stages of preparations and we are looking forward to the teams arriving, starting early next week," said Chartis Cup promoter Jon Phelps.
The Chartis Cup is a charity match, with proceeds going to the Royal Project office in Thailand to help rebuild schools in areas affected by flooding.
Tickets for the Chartis Cup - priced $300 for adults and $50 for children - can be purchased online at www.hkticketing.com or by calling the HK Ticketing hotline on 31288288. Fans can also buy in person from HK Ticketing's box offices and Tom Lee Music stores. More information can be found at www.chartiscup.com.