How do you fancy opening the Rugby World Cup 2015? Or perhaps you’d rather help start the Rugby World Cup 2015 Final itself.
Heineken is launching a competition to find 48 fans from around the world to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open a match by attending the official coin toss prior to the kick-off of each match.
The coin toss takes place shortly before each match and this is one lucky fan’s chance to get up close and personal with the captains and the referee as they limber up for the big game. The coin toss takes place in the tunnel of the stadium just prior to the match - it’s a big, big moment as all around excitement starts to build as the tension mounts. Before the coin is tossed, the referee says, “It’s your call”. Once one of the skippers has his call - heads or tails - the referee flips the coin. And soon after, battle commences.
The coin toss is not just a ceremonial occasion – far from it. The coin toss can prove crucial in a match – it can allow a team captain to take advantage of a strong prevailing wind by choosing the right end to defend or give him the opportunity to attack a goal behind which most of his team’s fans are congregated. Getting the call right can be significant, so the Heineken coin toss winners might well be part of a major moment in sporting history.
Jonah Lomu, perhaps the greatest ever rugby player and a Heineken Legend for the Rugby World Cup 2015, is emphatic in his assertion that the coin toss is an incredibly important game event.
“The coin toss is important as it decides a lot of things. One, it’s the mental edge in terms of it’s your first win, and that puts a tick in that corner. But also you decide how you want to start the game. If you’re a team that wants to physically assert your physicality on the opposition, you want to win the coin toss and you want to attack them. You can’t do that if they win the coin toss. So there is a tactic when it comes to that and the coin toss is a huge part of this. Heineken is giving this opportunity for the fans to get up close and personal. You can’t get any closer unless you are pulling on the jersey and playing.”
Heineken believes the match experience is not just about the game itself: a big rugby match fizzes with atmosphere and drama even before the match starts.
After the game, spectators will embark on long, passionate discussions about each major incident in the game as they try to work out just how the result was arrived at. Win or lose, these debates are part of what makes rugby such enthralling entertainment.
Heineken will therefore ensure that the winners will never “only” attend the match. Instead they’ll be the recipients of the full, unexpurgated red carpet treatment: Extra Cold Heineken, fantastic food, and pre- and post-match entertainment. Central to the full VIP experience will be Heineken’s panel of Rugby Legends - including greats such as Lomu, Will Carling, Rocky Elsom, Shane Horgan, Scott Quinnell and John Smit.They will offer a comprehensive and thorough pre-, during and post-match analysis of each match.
The coin toss is a fantastic money-can’t-buy VIP prize that will put the winners right at the heart of the action.
Take part and get closer to the action. #It’sYourCall.
