Monthly Archives: March 2012

Rhino has been involved in the Rosslyn Park National School Sevens for over 30 years now and this year we stepped up our involvement to Official Partner status, alongside main sponsor HSBC. This involved amongst other things having our staff on site at the tournament for all five days of play in glorious sunshine, displaying primarily the Rhino Collision King, senior and junior models, on the equipment side, and having a stunning display from Rhino-Turf alongside, including the ever popular Reggie the Rhino who was a magnet especially for the younger participants on the earlier days.

We also had our company mascot miniature schnauzer Simba on hand who was a star attraction for lots of the spectators on the final day played at the Rosslyn Park ground.

Rhino CEO Reg Clark joins the victorious Bishops Stortford team for the traditional victory photo on the Rhino-Turf stand with Reggie the Rhino after their win in the Prep Schools Tournament. Photo Credit: Capture the Event

Rhino and Rhino Turf were out early this morning in glorious sunshine setting out our stall for the Rosslyn Park National School Sevens. A world record 7,500 players are set to take part in the coming 5 days.

As usual Reggie the Rhino was the immediate star attraction, with the Rhino Collision Kings a close second.

L to R: Nick Fox (Sports Direct.com), Reg Clark (CEO of Rhino Rugby), Andrew Statham (Newark Chairman) and Craig Barnsdale (Captain)

Sports Direct.com as Official High Street Retailer of Sport Relief staged a rugby match to support the charity at Newark RFC yesterday.

A Sports Direct.com XV, kitted out by Rhino Teamwear, and which had prepared for the game using Rhino training equipment narrowly lost 11-10 in a keenly contested game against a Newark XV in front of a good crowd who donated generously during and after the game.

Rhino CEO Reg Clark and Nick Fox of Sports Direct.com presented the training equipment after the game to Newark Chairman Andrew Statham to thank the club for its support.

Whilst Rhino Rugby is proud of its Official supplier relationships with the Lions, England, Wales, Bath, Cardiff and Wasps, we are also committed to supporting grass roots rugby.

The nearest club to our HQ and manufacturing operations in Somerset is Cheddar Valley RFC and our West London office has for many years had a close relationship with London Japanese RFC. We therefore decided to donate the magnificent mounted Rhino head that has graced our London office for many years as a trophy for an annual game between the two clubs.

On St Patricks Day the two sides met at the Richmond Athletic Ground during Cheddar’s London tour and an excellent game ensued which was finely balanced at 10 all going into the final minutes, at which point man of the match Matt Vaughan burst through the centre for a well taken try to give Cheddar a 15-10 victory.

Both sides repaired to the clubhouse to watch the final 6 Nations games and the Rhino Trophy moved on the next day to its new home in the White Hart in Cheddar, which is looking forward to welcoming London Japanese at the time of the return game next season.

	Above: The London Japanese and Cheddar Valley sides after the game. Bottom left: Rhino CEO Reg Clark ceremonially takes down the Rhino Trophy from the wall of the company’s offices in West London and presents it to Cheddar Valley RFC Chairman Patrick Cullen during a welcome drinks reception for the touring party. Bottom right: The Trophy arrives at its new spiritual home with the returning tourists.

GREGOR Townsend accepts that there will be critics of his surprising shift from a struggling Scotland team into the plum job of head coach at Glasgow Warriors, but the former Test fly-half has asked the doubters to judge him next season rather than now. Read more...

Despite losing the PCubed Varsity Rugby League Match by a record 48-0 margin, Cambridge University took a crumb of comfort from a 2-1 win over Oxford in the Rhino half time crossbar goalkicking challenge last night.

Rhino was delighted to be both teamwear supplier this season to the victorious Oxford team and the match ball supplier for the Varsity game - the first appearance of our Vortex Elite XIII rugby league match ball.

Three old boys of each club lined up at half time in a dual attempt to kick a goal from the 20 to win a Rhino Vortex Elite XIII ball and/or hit the bar to win Rhino equipment for their Varsity club.

Both James Hunt of Cambridge and James Boyle of Oxford came close to hitting the bar and together with James Shearman of Cambridge went away with their prize for successfully kicking a goal. The efforts of Howie Dormer of Oxford and Mark Ramsdale of Cambridge by contrast left both of them grateful that Sky Sports didn’t televise the event this year.

A crowd of over 1,000 at the Richmond Athletic Ground witnessed a dominant performance by Oxford over a Cambridge club that is currently struggling with its Blues committee over the status of the game in the University.

Both sides were extremely complimentary about the performance of the Rhino ball having extensively trialled it before the game.

Rhino Directors Tony Colquitt and Reg Clark, together with Dave Reynish and Keiron Blackburn of Rhino Teamwear, host Mike ‘Stevo’ Stephenson of Sky Sports and a galaxy of Oxford University rugby union and league legends at the pre match dinner.

Rhino's new Vortex XIII rugby league match ball was unveiled today by the captains of the Oxford and Cambridge sides ahead of their Varsity game on Thursday March 8th at the Richmond Athletic Ground in which the ball will be used.

Ben Calverley of Oxford, currently holders of the KJ Lee Trophy, and Matt Commin of Cambridge attended the launch event at the Bloomsbury offices of PCubed, sponsors of the event for the last 14 years. The first Varsity Rugby League Match took place in 1981.

Rhino have been Official Suppliers of training equipment to St Helens rugby league club for 5 years now and are additionally Official Teamwear Suppliers to North Wales Crusaders and Oxford University rugby league clubs.

The Vortex XIII ball represents a further move by Rhino into the league code, following on from their success as ball suppliers to the British & Irish Lions and the RaboDirect PRO12 in rugby union.

Tony Colquitt, a Rhino Director who recently stood down after 5 successful years as CEO of St Helens, commented: "we are delighted that the Rhino Vortex XIII is making its debut in the Varsity Rugby League Match and are confident it can go on to be more widely adopted throughout the game".