World Cup winner Paul Grayson believes Preston Grasshoppers is the place to cheer on England at this year’s Rugby World Cup which gets underway on Friday.
A special Fanzone is being set up for key tournament matches, including all England games and everyone in Preston is invited.
Paul who won 32 caps for his country between 1995 and 2004, and is second only to Jonny Wilkinson in England’s all-time leading point scorers, started his career at Preston Grasshoppers.
He said: “Hoppers is a great, welcoming club and I would encourage everyone to come along and really make the most of what could be an unforgettable six weeks. The Hoppers Fanzone will be a fantastic and unique opportunity for rugby fans to really enjoy the tournament with friends, in the midst of a wonderful atmosphere.”
Along with England’s four Pool A matches, all knockout fixtures will also be shown live in HD on a huge screen with food and drink available during every game. Plus a shirt signed by England’s current World Cup squad is also up for grabs for all supporters in attendance at the Fanzone.
Paul is confident that the national side will feel the boost of home advantage in their bid to win a second Rugby World Cup title.
“All England matches are being played on home soil and at evening kick-off times, so I think we can expect to see big crowds at Hoppers, as well as other venues all over the country.
After this year’s Six Nations running right to the wire, I think there is an extra incentive for England to re-establish themselves on the world’s biggest stage, and there is no better opportunity than with a home World Cup with absolutely everyone behind you.”
England go into the tournament ranked fourth in the world, and kick off their World Cup campaign against Fiji at Twickenham this Friday evening at 8pm.
This is followed by matches against Wales and two-time winners Australia, before concluding their Pool fixtures against Uruguay on Saturday 10th October.
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