The 2015 Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will visit Hertfordshire later this year.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: England 2015 Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour branded balls and The Web Ellis Cup [Picture: Andrew Fosker / Seconds Left Images 2015]England 2015 Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour branded balls and The Web Ellis Cup [Picture: Andrew Fosker / Seconds Left Images 2015] (Image: Andrew Fosker/ Seconds Left Images 2015)

England Rugby 2015 today (Thursday) announced the locations of the Official Fanzones and the route for the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour.

June 10 marks 100 days to the start of the Rugby World Cup, and the 100-day tour will see the trophy visit Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales and England, before arriving at Twickenham Stadium on September 18, ahead of the Opening Ceremony.

The Trophy Tour will visit more than 300 events, ranging from community rugby programmes to host city festivals and iconic national landmarks, with hundreds of opportunities for fans to see the Webb Ellis Cup.

After visiting Scotland, Ireland and Wales, the final stage of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will see rugby’s greatest prize embark on a 75-day journey around the host nation.

This leg of the tour will start in Cornwall before working its way up to the north east and then down to London and the south east.

The glittering prize will arrive in Hertfordshire on day 70 of the tour – Wednesday, August 19.

The trophy will visit Haileybury School, in Hertford, where USA and Argentina will both be based for part of the World Cup, and Bishop’s Stortford RFC.

The overall tour will culminate at Twickenham Stadium in time for the inaugural match of the tournament – England v Fiji.

Organisers have also announced the locations of the Official Fanzones.

There will be 15 in total, one in each host city, one at the birth place of the game, Rugby, and another in London’s Trafalgar Square.

The host cities are Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Exeter, Gloucester, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes and Newcastle.

Fanzones, which will be free to enter, will be open on matchdays and at varying times across the six-week tournament providing fans, residents and visitors with the opportunity to enjoy the build-up to matches and join in with the nationwide celebration of rugby.

Debbie Jevans, chief executive officer of England Rugby 2015, said: “With less than six months to go we are delighted to announce the locations of the Official Fanzones, alongside details of the 100 day Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour across the UK and Ireland.

“The countdown to Rugby World Cup 2015 is on and fans can now really begin to plan their tournament experience, be it through watching the matches, through Fanzones, the Festival of Rugby and the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour.”

She added: “The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will be the perfect opportunity to excite and engage fans across the UK and Ireland and make 2015 feel like the year of the rugby nation.

“Delivering a continuous 100-day tour means we can give as many fans as possible the opportunity to see the Webb Ellis Cup and tell us their rugby story as they countdown to their own tournament experience.

“We have been delighted with the success of the International Trophy Tour, engaging with thousands of people across the globe, and hope to replicate that success when the Trophy Tour goes to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales and England.”

With capacities ranging from 2,000 to over 10,000, and additional events planned in the Fanzones outside of matchdays, more than one million fans are anticipated to visit the Fanzones throughout the tournament.

Each Fanzone will include a big screen, with some showing live Rugby World Cup 2015 matches, rugby activities, food and drink and entertainment and regional content to celebrate the host city and match venue’s role in Rugby World Cup 2015.

Trafalgar Square will be open from the weekend of the semi-finals until the final, and will include entertainment, food and drink, and rugby activities on the semi-final, bronze final and final matchdays.

Outside of matchdays, the Square, along with a number of the Official Fanzones, will play host to grassroots and community rugby initiatives and events to celebrate the game and the wider tournament.

World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby World Cup 2015 is a tournament that will have the fans and teams at heart and we are excited about the unprecedented opportunity that the Trophy Tour and Fanzones will provide for fans to really engage with the tournament no matter where they are.

“With six months to go until England 2015 kicks-off, World Rugby is confident of a very special and record-breaking celebration of rugby that will inspire new fans and participants around the world.”

* The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour schedule can be viewed here and full details on the locations and events will updated in the coming months.