The strategic partnership between Rhino Rugby and Browns Sports & Leisure Resort in the Algarve is proving useful for Rhino’s Official Supplier teams.

The England squad under Martin Johnson are currently at Europe’s leading warm weather training facility and in addition to using the Rhino contact equipment which is permanently in place as part of Rhino’s tie up with Browns and with which the England squad are extremely familiar, they additionally have access to the very Rhino Dictator scrum machine they used during their 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign to such great effect in terms of scrummaging performance. The machine was transferred from France to the Algarve following the tournament and the conclusion of the partnership agreement between Rhino and Browns in late 2007.

Two weeks, ago,  recent Rhino signing on Official Supplier status, St Helens Rugby League Club warmed up for the forthcoming Super League season with a week at Browns. Mike Rush, head of youth development for Saints, was delighted with the set up at Browns and the fact that Rhino equipment was available on site – “it’s great to have consistency in terms of the training equipment a squad uses, and having been very pleased with the new Rhino products we have taken delivery of in the UK, it was great to be able to use the same equipment on site at Browns”.

The deal was agreed in principle when Rhino CEO, Mr Reg Clark met with Samoa Rugby Union’s CEO Sua Peter Schuster at an IRB Conference in London in November 2008.

“This piece of equipment is very much needed in Samoa in an area we’ve identified as needing improvement if we are to consistently compete and win against tier-1 rugby nations”, commented Su’a Schuster.

“We are grateful to the contributions from Census, from Rhino and the IRB that have made this valuable tool available to rugby development in Samoa.” END

More information (Samoa) Fatu Tauafiafi, 777-2672 or media-pr@srfu.ws