In 2010 Rhino was proud to celebrate 25 years of supplying England Rugby with scrummaging machines, contact and training equipment. As early as January 1983 England coach Mike Davis was putting the England pack through its paces on the Powerhouse scrum machine at a pre 5 Nations camp, and from 1985 onwards an Official Supplier/Sponsor relationship was formalised. The pictures which accompany this tell the story better than any words can but coaches and managers from Roger Uttley, Jack Rowell and Clive Woodward through to Martin Johnson have all championed Rhino equipment and legendary front row men like Gareth Chilcott, Graham Rowntree and the great Jason Leonard have throughout their England careers relentlessly pounded Rhino scrum machines to hone their skills and stamina.
Nothing is more apt however from a Rhino point of view than the involvement of one of the firm’s founders, Phil Keith-Roach, in England’s greatest triumph in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Phil became the game’s first full time scrum coach with Wasps and in 1997 was appointed to that role with England. England’s campaign kicked off in Perth, Western Australia and the Powerhouse machine which England used to prepare for its group matches there then had to be driven across the continent and through the Nullarbor Desert to be on hand for preparation for their subsequent games in Queensland and New South Wales. It was all very worthwhile - in the words of one commentator “the England scrum didn’t take a backward step throughout the whole tournament”. A triumph for all concerned and for Phil a crowning achievement to a lifelong dedication to the dark arts of scrummaging.
Back in England Rhino Managing Director Derek de Glanville gave his employees a spontaneous day off to celebrate. Since England’s use of the roller based Powerhouse in the 2003 World Cup it has been superceded by the sled based Dictator machine which is now in general use throughout the England squads, including the England Women’s team who so nearly emulated them in their narrow defeat to New Zealand in the final of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2010.