Land Rover Backing The Next Generation Of Rugby Stars

“The money we receive from Land Rover goes directly into our high performance programmes.”

- Ryan Martin

SCHOOLBOY FIRST XV RUGBY PLAYERS across the country will be better resourced and better-prepared thanks to the continued support of grass roots rugby by Land Rover New Zealand.

The premium British car and SUV manufacturer is now entering its fourth year of New Zealand First XV rugby sponsorship and remains a staunch supporter of the competition in this market.

One of the sport’s biggest backers globally, Land Rover’s sponsorship of First XV rugby helps fund SKY TV’s landmark television coverage of schoolboy rugby, providing elite young players with national exposure.

The company sponsors a number of schools across the country, directly helping to fund the development programmes which produce tomorrow’s superstars.

“The money we receive from Land Rover goes directly into our high performance programmes,” Otago Boys’ High School First XV coach Ryan Martin says.

The school uses the sponsorship funding to purchase video analysis packages such as Huddle and Gamebreaker, and provide players with rugby ‘tool kits’ – essentially gear that helps with injury prevention and rehabilitation.

The impact of the funding goes well beyond the players on the field, Martin says.

“We use students to operate our video analysis tools and in the process they pick up skills they can make a career out of,” he says.

Two students had gone on to study sports analysis at Otago Polytechnic after working with the First XV last season.

“It’s really hard to overstate how great it is to have the support of a company like Land Rover,” Martin says.