GET SET FOR SUMMER OF SCRUM WITH O2

O2 today announced a line-up of five O2 Scrum on the Beach events taking place this summer at coastal and urban beaches across the country, culminating in the heart of London in August.

Each O2 Scrum on the Beach event will give fans the chance to get up close to their favourite England rugby players, get involved and play beach rugby or simply kick back and enjoy the fantastic acts and live entertainment.

The O2 Scrum on the Beach events, part of the RFU’s summer of rugby, take place as follows:

· Bournemouth, Boscombe Beach – Saturday 12th July 11 – 5pm

· Newcastle, Tynemouth Beach – Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th July, 12 – 6pm

· Birmingham, Centenary Square – Wed 13th August, 11am – 8pm

· Newquay, Lusty Glaze Beach – Sat 23rd & Sun 24th August, 12pm – late

· London – Wed 27th & Thursday 28th August, 11am – 8pm

As well as being put through your paces in areas such as kicking, passing, running and tackling in the O2 Play Zone and taking part in a game of beach rugby, each event has plenty of interactive beach-themed activities including rugby limbo and arm wrestling. For any couples coming along there’s also the chance to put yourself forward to be Mr and Mrs O2 Scrum on the Beach 2008!

O2 customers can also access the exclusive O2 Blueroom on the Beach, a VIP chill-out area with free massages, DJs and refreshments. To find out more about the events, rugby fans can visit O2.co.uk/scrum.

Sally Cowdry, Marketing Director O2 UK commented: “O2 Scrum on the Beach provides a fantastic opportunity for rugby fans, rugby players and their families to come down and enjoy a great day of action-packed live entertainment combined with the chance to meet England rugby players and maybe demonstrate some of their own rugby skills. Our aim is to make rugby accessible to all and our O2 Scrum on the Beach programme aims to do just that.”

O2 Scrum on the Beach is part of the RFU’s Play On campaign, sponsored by O2. Following on from the highly successful Go Play Rugby recruitment campaign, this initiative aims to keep school and university players connected with the game. Play On provides a network of rugby contacts, O2 Pathfinders, who will help players find new teams and places to play. Visit www.playonrugby.com to find out more.

Andrew Scoular, the Rugby Football Union’s Community Rugby Director, said: “The five O2 Scrum on the Beach events will be part of a fantastic summer of rugby events throughout the country that the RFU delivers. One of the priorities of the Play On campaign is to keep young people in the 16-24 age group connected with the game throughout the close season and the O2 Scrum on the Beach events will inspire and entertain these young players