Watch: Rugby World Cup trophy visits Odisha

Konark: The Rugby World Cup trophy, also known as the Webb Ellis Cup, today reached the Sun Temple in Odisha’s Konark as a part of its world wide tour ahead of the Rugby World Cup-2019.

The trophy was placed on the temple premises on the final day of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour in India.

Visitors, tourists and sports enthusiasts at the 13th-century heritage site were visibly excited to see the glittering trophy and clicked photos and selfies.

Watch Video:

Incredible scenes as the Webb Ellis Cup sits in front of the Sun Temple at Konark on the final day of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour in India! #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/LOJ8570Lat

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) August 10, 2018

The trophy later arrived in capital city Bhubaneswar, where Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and officials of the Sports and Youth Services Department welcomed it.

“It is good to witness the excitement around the Rugby World Cup-2019 Trophy Tour in India. Odisha is the nursery of rugby in India and our players have brought laurels for both the state and the country. We are also the proud host of the Asian U18 Women’s Rugby Sevens in October. I wish to encourage more kids come forward and play the sport of rugby,” the CM said.

The trophy then travelled to the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, where it was received by thousands of young students all eager to see rugby’s greatest prize.

“We thank Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his kind invitation to host the Webb Ellis Cup in Bhubaneswar and extend our gratitude to Vishal Dev and the Sports & Youth Services Department of the Government of Odisha as they show their support for the game of rugby,” said World Rugby CEO, Brett Gosper.

India is one of the 18 nations that has hosted the trophy tour. Remarkably, the trophy visited India for the first time. The tour aims to inspire and engage new and existing rugby players and fans. The Trophy Tour supports World Rugby’s Impact Beyond Programme which aims to use World Rugby tournaments as a catalyst for the growth of the game.

The Rugby World Cup-2019 will take place in Japan from September 20, 2019 to November 2, 2019 and will see the best 20 teams in the world compete for rugby’s greatest prize. The tournament will be held for the very first time in Asia.