Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website 150 years of England Rugby. THE LIMITED EDITION BREMONT RFU 150
february 03, 2021 - Bremont

150 years of England Rugby. THE LIMITED EDITION BREMONT RFU 150

As Official Timing Partner to both England #rugby and Twickenham Stadium, #bremont commemorates the 150th #anniversary of the #rugby Football Union (RFU) with the release of its #limitededition RFU 150 watch. Limited to only 150 pieces, the new timepiece honours this veritable milestone in British sporting history.

Bremont was honoured to have announced its partnership with the RFU in 2020, a partnership which has seen the British watch company delivering all of Twickenham stadium’s official time-related match day content, including branded match clocks around the stadium. To kick off the partnership #bremont produced the well-received Rose timepiece prior to the Guinness Six Nations 2020 and is thrilled to be extending its offering with the new RFU 150 to mark this historic occasion. 

The #anniversary timepiece encompasses all the qualities on which the partnership was founded, namely the shared values of durability, precision, and technical ability. The #bremont RFU 150 features a chronograph movement with 24h GMT hand as well as the #bremont patented protective anti-shock movement mount. The 43mm satin and polished stainless steel case is fitted with a uni-directional rotating blue ceramic bezel and features an automatic helium escape valve and crown protector. The bezel also allows keen timekeepers to keep an eye on the match playing time with indicators showing the approach of half/full time in red and any extra-time added on in white. The dial is inspired by the blue tone of the England #rugby team alternative kit and the inner dial ring is proudly stamped ‘Twickenham’. The closed case back features the RFU’s new, specially designed, #heritage Rose emblem celebrating the #anniversary, taking inspiration from the first rose that featured on the players’ caps from 1871 (and still does today).

Bremont Co-Founder Giles English says, “It was an incredibly proud moment for me when I first saw #bremont timekeeping presiding over play at Twickenham, both an iconic stadium and an English institution. It has obviously been an incredibly challenging year for #sport but not being able to enjoy #sport in the same way has certainly highlighted its importance for so many. England #rugby really is as good as it gets and speaks to the core of what #bremont has always been about with our maxim of being Tested Beyond Endurance. We’re very much looking forward to seeing the Guinness Six Nations kick off and we’re thrilled to be part of these #anniversary celebrations, commemorating such a landmark year in the #sport.”

THE #rugby FOOTBALL UNION: THE BEGINNINGS

February 2021 marks 150 years since the RFU was originally formed. On 26th January 1871 21 clubs were represented by 32 people at a meeting chaired by EC Holmes, the Captain of Richmond Club.  Within a mere two hours the #rugby Football Union was formed.  Algernon Rutter of Richmond was elected as the first President with Edwin Ash as the first Secretary/Treasurer. 

During the meeting, two sub-committees were formed. The first consisted of three Old Rugbeians who were tasked with writing the Laws of the Game. The other was instructed to choose a team to play the #rugby footballers of Scotland, who had issued a challenge to the English members.

Fairly quickly after the formation of the RFU other countries formed their own unions, the Scots in 1873, the Irish in 1879 and the Welsh in 1881 and annual home-nations fixtures were contested. The RFU remained the ultimate arbiter of the #sport until the formation of the International #rugby Board in 1886, which the RFU finally joined in 1890.

Following well attended tours by New Zealand and South Africa, the Union committee decided it was time to build their own stadium. It was member William Williams who found the market garden, which was just over 10 acres in size, near Twickenham as the most suitable site. The land was purchased for £5,572, 12s/6d in 1907.

The iconic first match played at Twickenham was between Harlequins and Richmond in October 1909 and the first international was between England and Wales in January 1910. The stadium has been the permanent home of the England national team and the RFU ever since.

Since then, the #sport has not looked back and has grown to become one of the most respected sports in the world, with England and Twickenham being at the forefront of its development, both on and off the pitch.

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