Former British & Irish Lion Lawrence Dallaglio OBE Becomes Land Rover Global Ambassador

30 May 2013

Land Rover’s latest ambassador joins The British & Irish Lions in Hong Kong as Land Rover launches the All-New Range Rover Sport in South China.

Land Rover's latest ambassador joins The British & Irish Lions in Hong Kong as Land Rover launches the All-New Range Rover Sport in South China 

 (Assets available for download at www.media.landrover.com)

  • Land Rover has announced Lawrence Dallaglio as their latest global ambassador
  • Lawrence will join The British & Irish Lions in Hong Kong to launch the All-New Range Rover Sport in South China
  • Land Rover is an Official Global Sponsor of The 2013 British & Irish Lions Tour and the All-New Range Rover Sport will lead the team in to the Hong Kong Stadium for their first match against The Barbarians on 1 June 2013
  • The All-New Range Rover Sport is the fastest, most agile and technology-packed Land Rover ever

Hong Kong, 30 May, 2013 -Yesterday in Hong Kong, Lawrence Dallaglio was announced as Land Rover's latest global ambassador joining The British & Irish Lions team on the 2013 Lions Tour, of which Land Rover is an Official Global Sponsor, to launch the All-New Range Rover Sport in the South China market.

Lawrence will be supporting the team in the Hong Kong Stadium on 1 June 2013 for the opening match in a historic warm up game against The Barbarians, where, as part of its launch in China, the Range Rover Sport will lead the team in to the stadium. Lawrence will walk with the fans as they enter the stadium, sharing the experience with everyone following the Tour across Land Rover's social channels.

After the Tour, Lawrence will continue to work with Land Rover in their support of rugby in the run up to and during Rugby World Cup 2015 in England where Land Rover is a Worldwide Partner.  His exceptional career on the rugby field and his continued support of the game through his Lawrence Dallaglio Foundation Rugby For Change youth initiative is perfectly in tune with Land Rover's Above and Beyond spirit and epitomises the inner strength that sits at the heart of Land Rover and the game of rugby.  He will work together with Land Rover to support all levels of the sport from international through to grass roots.

Land Rover has a proud history of supporting The British & Irish Lions and is excited to be continuing their shared journey together in Hong Kong and Australia in 2013 as an Official Global Sponsor. Land Rover celebrates those who have the confidence to embrace life's challenges and there is no better example than The British & Irish Lions, who have been doing exactly this since 1888.

A range of Land Rover vehicles will provide essential support for The British & Irish Lions operations on Tour, with vehicles being used in the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong and Australia. Land Rover will also look to share experiences and their passion for the game with fans both in the UK and those following the tourists abroad. 

The All-New Range Rover Sport represents a step change in engineering and technology; it is almost half a tonne lighter resulting in significant CO2 savings and it's faster, more agile and more dynamic than ever.  It will go on sale in the third quarter of 2013.  Full information is available to view at www.newrangeroversport.com now.

Notes to editors

Lawrence Dallaglio

Lawrence Bruno Nero Dallaglio OBE is one of the true icons of British sport, and one of the outstanding and compelling figures in England Rugby history. Regarded as one of the world's greatest ever back row forwards, Lawrence was immensely proud to have captained his country during an England career that saw him capped 85 times.

He won the inaugural Sevens World Cup in 1993 and Rugby World Cup 2003 where he was the only player to play in every minute of every match during England's successful campaign in Australia. This achievement also made Lawrence one of only two northern hemisphere players to hold world cup winners medals in both the 7s and 15 man game. He also played on three British & Irish Lions Tours, winning a series in South Africa in 1997. 

Lawrence was a one club man joining London Wasps in 1990 and playing there to his retirement in 2008 captaining them to Victory in five Premiership Rugby Titles, three League Cups and three European trophies. 

He was awarded an MBE in 2004 and an OBE in 2008 and has recently been appointed as an ambassador for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.

All-New Range Rover Sport

Developed alongside the highly-acclaimed Range Rover, the all-new Range Rover Sport delivers the brand's best-ever on-road dynamics together with class-leading, genuine Land Rover all-terrain capability, while presenting customers with a more assertive and muscular exterior, more luxurious interior and the flexibility provided by the option of occasional 'plus two' seating.

Exploiting Land Rover's breakthrough lightweight suspension design and innovative dynamic chassis technologies, the All-New Range Rover Sport's first-in-class aluminium architecture achieves a weight saving of over 420kg.

Designed and engineered at Land Rover's development centres in the UK, the new model will be produced in a state-of-the-art low-energy manufacturing facility at Solihull, UK.

The all-new Range Rover Sport will ultimately be introduced in 169 markets worldwide.

Land Rover and rugby

Land Rover and rugby have many shared values - integrity, courage, pride, composure, capability - values that are required to create great competitive rugby and world class all-terrain vehicles. 

Land Rover sponsor all levels of the sport, from the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup for under 11 and under 12 teams, through to Premiership Rugby and The British & Irish Lions on their Tour to Australia in 2013. At an exciting time for rugby in the UK, we are also proud to be a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015.

ENDS

For further information and to download images, film and media packs, log onto www.media.landrover.com or contact:

Seb Dilleyston
Account Director
The Brooklyn Brothers
+44 2072926200 / +447917108187
seb@thebrooklynbrothers.com

Kim Palmer
Senior Press Officer, Land RoverUK
T: 02476 564 129
M: 07795 666169
E: kpalmer@landrover.com

Rachel Murray
Press Officer, Land RoverUK
T: 02476 564 127
M: 07780 494282
E: rmurra73@landrover.com

Editors Note:

-         Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true breadth of capability across the model range. Defender, Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's 4x4 sectors. Land Rover products are currently sold in approximately 180 global markets.

-         Land Rover is an Official Global Sponsor of The British & Irish Lions on their Tour to Australia 2013

-         Land Rover is the Official Vehicle of Rugby World Cup 2015, Top 14 Orange, Brumbies Rugby, Premiership Rugby, Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, Shanghai Sevens 2012, Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens 2012