BARB_p07 Welcome-DHLv2

WELCOME
WELCOME
MESSAGES
NEW ZEALAND
PROVINCIAL
BARBARIANS
DHL EXPRESS
NEW ZEALAND
ON BEHALF OF THE NEW ZEALAND BARBARIAN
Rugby Club, I would like to welcome you to Toll
Stadium, Whangarei, for the opening game of the
DHL New Zealand Lions Series against our New
Zealand Provincial Barbarians team, with a special
welcome to all those Lions supporters who have
travelled so far to be here tonight.
This is a hugely significant event for our club as it
will be our first-ever international fixture on New
Zealand soil and sets the scene for what promises to
be an enthralling series with the British & Irish Lions.
It is appropriate that our team has been selected
from the Mitre 10 Cup and Mitre 10 Heartland
Championship teams. It gives the opportunity for
our best provincial players from around the country
to take the field against one of the world’s most
famous touring sides and it embodies our club’s
involvement with provincial rugby dating back
to 1937. This game also recognises our continued
involvement with New Zealand Rugby in the
development of amateur rugby, particularly at
schoolboy level over many years.
Congratulations to our players who have been
selected to play tonight – we know you will wear our
jersey with pride and passion and the recognition
that you are representing all the provincial players
from throughout New Zealand.
I would like to thank Barfoot & Thompson for
sponsoring tonight’s game, New Zealand Rugby for
inviting us to play the match, Northland Rugby
Union and the Whangarei District Council for hosting
us, and the people of Whangarei and Northland for
turning out for tonight’s game.
DEAR RUGBY FANS,
We are thrilled to be the major headline sponsor of the DHL New
Zealand Lions Series 2017, and build on our longstanding
commitment to the wonderful sport of rugby.
Whether you have travelled from the far reaches of the globe, or
are here to support the local side, DHL is delighted to help deliver
this series to you.
Across the 35 days of this tournament, more than 20,000
international supporters will visit the land of the long white cloud.
Spanning 10 games and seven host cities, more than 350,000
tickets have been issued to rugby fans across the globe.
As the Official Logistics Partner of the series, DHL is moving all
team and match gear around the country with passion and speed.
This includes two dedicated trucks travelling more than 6,000
kilometres around New Zealand. We know that “great” is in the
detail, and the importance of getting every single piece of
equipment to the field on time.
DHL has a long association with rugby both in New Zealand
and around the world, and we were proud to be the naming rights
sponsor for this iconic rugby series in 2005, when the All Blacks
won the series 3-0.
As well as a long history supporting Lions tournaments, DHL
was the Official Logistics Partner of the Rugby World Cup 2011 and
2015 – and is also the Global Partner and Official Logistics Partner
of the men’s and women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Beyond the global headline partnerships, DHL is Official
Logistics Partner to a number of international and domestic
teams, including the Irish Rugby Football Union, English club
Harlequins FC and DHL Stormers in South Africa. We also support
the professional and grassroots game in places as far afield as
Canada and Kazakhstan to Laos, Australia and Fiji.
We are looking forward to an epic series where teamwork, skill,
passion and dedication are the deciding factors. I wish both sides
the best of luck and may the best team win.
Ron Williams
President
New Zealand Barbarian Rugby Club
Mark Foy
Country Manager
DHL Express New Zealand
DHL NEW ZEALAND LIONS SERIES 2017 // 7
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