Rugby World Cup Back in Leicestershire Hands

It has been held aloft in ecstasy, clutched in the giant hands of titans of the rugby world. Now the trophy, last seen clutched in the huge hands of England and Tigers skipper Martin Johnson in 2003, has come to Leicestershire.

The trophy is being fitted up for a specially-made travelling case to take it to France for this year’s competition which begins on September 7.

Staff at Trifibre Containers, in Thurmaston, measured the famous urn for a tailer-made flight case so it can be taken on board aircraft for travels around the world.

The tropy – called the Webb Ellis Cup after William Webb Ellis, the schoolboy credited with inventing the game – will be flown to France later this year for the world cup, and then on a tour of the victorious nation’s homeland.

As New Zealand’s famous All Blacks are the hot favourites to take the title, the 38cm tall urn may clock up a lot of air miles this year.

Trifibre managing director Nigel Cox said: “It was surreal to pick it up, something like that, but it’s not as heavy as you’d think. Certainly a lot of staff seemed to find their way into the office today to have a look.”

A specialist machine will carve out the foam packaging of the case before an outer shell is created around it at the Britannia Way factory.