Rugby World Cup organizers said on Thursday that more than 1 million people are "expected to visit Rugby World Cup fanzones during the tournament," according to Justin Palmer of REUTERS. Fans gathering in London's Trafalgar Square will not, however, "be able to watch live-screened matches." There will be 15 fanzones in each host city, "one at the birth place of the game in Rugby, and one in iconic Trafalgar Square," which will be open from the weekend of the semifinals until the final on Oct. 31 at Twickenham. Fanzones include London's Olympic Park, "the picturesque Old Deer Park in Richmond, the beach front in Brighton and the quayside docks of Gloucester, situated in the rugby heartland of England's south west." A Rugby World Cup spokesperson said, "The Fanzone in Trafalgar Square is designed to be a wider celebration of the game of rugby rather than a venue to watch matches. It will include entertainment, rugby activities and food and drink on the semifinal, Bronze Final and Final matchdays" (REUTERS, 3/26). The PA reported the Rugby World Cup trophy tour around the U.K. and Ireland will begin on June 10. The 100-day continuous tour of the Webb Ellis Cup will visit Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales and England, and arrive at Twickenham on Sept. 18 before the opening ceremony at the first game, between hosts England and Fiji in Pool A. England 2015 Rugby World Cup CEO Debbie Jevans: "Capacities will range from 2,000 to over 10,000 and we would like to thank all of our host cities, local authorities and the Mayor of London." Fanzones will be free to enter and will be open on matchdays and at "varying times" across the six-week tournament (PA, 3/26).
