skip to main content

How the Hydrachill connection was a Rugby World Cup winner

All Blacks RWC

As the hugely successful 2015 Rugby World Cup concluded, congratulations were extended not just to World Champions the All Blacks but to to no less than six of our customers given the honour of hosting participating countries.

For those unaware, visiting world cup teams had been availing of some of the world-class training facilities at our leading UK sports universities - facilities which include offering visitors the option of fresh free chilled drinking water from one of their customised HydraChill units.

Not only did both world -cup finalists have that opportunity but so too all four semi-finalists and seven of the eight group winning quarter finalists. With the eighth and odd one out offering perhaps a special irony.

Winners New Zealand's bases included both Swansea University Sports Village (who also welcomed Fiji and Canada) and Cardiff Metropolitan University who also provided a training base for semi finalists Argentina and quarter finalist France among others. In Newcastle to play Tonga, the All Blacks even turned up at the Discovery Museum, home of our world prototype 2-in-1 unit, where a group including Saturday's try scoring hero Ma'a Nonu (pictured) left a tremendous impression with local schoolchildren. Also playing their part as Geordie hosts, Northumbria University provided the base for the opposing Tongans.

Elsewhere during the tournament, University of Birmingham Sport hosted third-place South Africa and Saturday's finalists Australia, whilst Surrey Sports Park welcomed the Springboks (twice), quarter finalists Ireland and Scotland, having earlier hosted Italy.

That missing quarter finalist? Wales of course, HydraChills country of origin! But fear not, Llandarcy Academy of Sport, home of the Ospreys (our home region), thereupon ordered their first HydraChill machines. So returning heroes including Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Biggar, Scott Baldwin and Justin Tipuric were able to enjoy our free water facility, too.