View from The Pack

By Bill Hadgkiss

What a weekend for Brighton & Hove which was witness to one of the greatest upsets in Rugby World Cup history when Japan beat South Africa on Saturday 19 September.

The sun shone from a clear blue sky throughout the weekend and the Brighton Community Stadium was full on both days with supporters wearing their country's colours and waving thousands of national flags distributed by members of The Pack.

Pack members were ready at the stadium to help match goers
Photo credit: www.snapitnow.co.uk

The role myself and other Pack members were responsible for was to give our visiting spectators a memorable experience from the time they arrived in the city until their departure. 

Fans in the stadium
Photo credit: www.snapitnow.co.uk

I was fortunate in being based at the Stadium on both days and undertook a variety of functions including meet and greet fans arriving on the shuttle buses from the Fanzone and Park and Rides, distributing flags, duties at stadium entrance gates regarding bag checks and separating tickets for scanning, marshalling queues post-match into channels for the various Park and Ride departure points and helping spectators with restricted movement from arrival points to the stadium entrance.

There were several memorable moments. Two elderly gentlemen with walking sticks arrived on a Park and Ride bus because their lift to the Stadium had not turned up. They were quite anxious by they time they arrived. I was able to collect two wheelchairs from our information point and, with a colleague, take them to their seating area. I then arranged their return journey to the P & R after the match. 

Fans waved homemade banners and flags handed out by the Pack
Photo credit: www.snapitnow.co.uk

One Samoan spectator gave me a match ticket since his friend was unable to come and asked me to find a good home for it. I took it to the ticket office where it was passed to a very happy fan who was ticketless! 

Bill in the stadium gallery

As we were not needed during the match, we all watched from a gallery near to the Workforce Centre. During the final 15 minutes of the South Africa v Japan game and the scenes at the final whistle were incredible. Every neutral in the stadium were willing the Japanese to achieve the impossible...and of course they did!

There is no doubt at all the Brighton Community Stadium, their staff, Rugby World Cup 2015 and members of The Pack made this event truly memorable, this being acknowledged by many, many spectators that I spoke to after the match. I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute and the memories will last a long time!

Welcome Samoa!

The Samoan team were welcomed to Brighton & Hove on Friday. 

The Welcome Ceremony which took place the Brighton Dome Theatre one week before the start of the Tournament. The 31 players and 15 management staff were presented with the official caps and participation medals. 

The Samoan manager took to the podium to say: “Brighton reminds us so much of Samoa! You have the sun, you have the sea and you have beautiful smiling people.” The team then took to the stage to give a rousing demonstration of Samoan dance and song.  

Samaon team on stage
Photo credit: Getty Images for ER2015

Afterwards the team stopped for photos in front of the Royal Pavilion and met fans waiting to wish them well. The Samoan team play USA at 12 noon on Sunday September 20 at the Brighton Community Stadium.  

Samoan team at the Royal Pavilion
Photo credit: Getty Images for ER2015

Watch highlights from the Samoan Welcome Ceremony at the Dome.

See the Samoan team on stage as captured on a phone by one of the audience.

Spanning the nations, rare artefacts at the museum

The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour reached Brighton & Hove on Bank Holiday Monday August 31. Crowds gathered to see the prestigious Trophy on display at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. 

Jacob Thomas-Brooks, aged 10, came along with his family. Jacob said: “I can’t wait until the Rugby starts, it’s going to brilliant. The Trophy was very impressive, very gold.”

Jacob, far right, with his family
and the Webb Ellis Cup

To celebrate the Trophy Tour, activities and displays were set up around the museum building. Staff looked after a range of rare objects taken out of museum storage for only one day to mark the occasion. The items were from the nations of Japan, Samoa, South Africa and USA, representing the four teams competing in Brighton & Hove during the Tournament.

Bark cloth as made in Samoa

South African beading

Visitors could see intricate South African beading, Native American Indian quills dating from the 1800s, decorative wrapping clothes called Furoshiki which are used instead of carrier bags in Japan and Tapa cloth made from the bark of the mulberry tree as found across Polynesia including Samoa.

Downstairs in the art room, children were encouraged to have a go at designing a Rugby shirt or flag for the team or teams of their choice taking part in the Tournament.

Alex Gilbert enjoyed making a Japanese inspired Rugby shirt design before going to see the Webb Ellis Cup with his mum, dad and older brother.

Alex with his Mum Gail

The Webb Ellis Cup was on display all morning before heading off to be the centre piece of a beach rugby session taking place later in the day.

The Webb Ellis Cup at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery

Find out more about the amazing artefacts at the museum and exhibitions on display

The 8th Rugby World Cup is set to start in England & Cardiff from 18 September to 31 October 2015. 

Throughout Rugby World Cup 2015, 48 matches will be taking place in 13 different venues across 11 cities in England & Cardiff, which include two matches at the Brighton Community Stadium:

• South Africa v Japan, 19 September - 4.45pm
• ​Samoa v USA, 20 September - 12noon