Front Row Rugby Club

Tourism New Zealand has a five-year plan to build a worldwide community of fans it will encourage to travel to the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Phase one saw Kiwis recruited to become ambassadors when they travelled to the Rugby World Cup 2007 in France, meeting and encouraging those they met to come to New Zealand in 2011. Ambassadors became founding members of the virtual Front Row Rugby Club captained by Tana Umaga.

To help them, Tourism New Zealand provided supporters kits with interactive DVDs promoting New Zealand as a place to visit, live and do business and personalised contact cards for those who sign up. Members received a welcome video message from Tana and were able to send a personalised invitation on to friends, family and rugby mates around the world.

Fans even have their own official virtual "clubrooms" where they can share stories and join in the world's largest team photo by adding their image.

The aim of the Front Row Rugby club is to convert a love of rugby and an interest in New Zealand into a trip here for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Road trips hosted on the Front Row Rugby Club site, will introduce the centres that will host games in 2011 and showcase the surrounding regions, encouraging rugby fans to start thinking about the kinds of places they will visit when they come to New Zealand.

Kicking off in Christchurch in August 2008, captain Tana Umaga has been out on the road with co-host Petra Bagust filming two mini-documentaries. The first two roadtrips start in Christchurch, with one heading across to the Westcoast on the Transalpine and the other going north to Kaikoura and Hamner Springs.

The mini-documentaries aim to show rugby as an integral part of New Zealand’s culture. They show our love of the game at the grass-roots level and the welcome our communities offer to travellers. While out on the road Tana Umaga stops in to meet former All Black Tane Norton at the Linwood rugby club and watch a Christ’s College First Fifteen game.

While Tana Umaga’s focus is on our rugby heritage, Petra Bagust takes alternate road trip routes, showcasing the ‘must see’ attractions for visitors to each of these regions.

Leading up to 2011, club members will receive regular updates from their captain. As 2011 draws near, fans will be sent specific information about the towns they will be visiting when the fixtures list is finalised.