WRU’s winning try for the RNLI
Following a winning start to the Six Nations Tournament, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) have scored a winning try for the RNLI, gifting six signed rugby shirts to help save lives at sea.
Each rugby shirt has been signed by the full WRU squad and are accompanied by a certificate of authentication – a winning prize for any Welsh rugby fan.
To avoid a ruck for the WRU shirts the charity has placed all six signed shirts on an online auction, ensuring a fair game for all who wish to win the golden prize. The auction will be live until Wednesday 31 March, which allows plenty of time for supporters to bid for the team in red.
Each signed shirt includes Wales Captain, Mumbles RNLI supporter and the most capped international player of all time Alun Wyn Jones; as well as Louis Rees-Zammit, the Man of the Match in the nail-biting Scotland v Wales game.
Nick Evans, RNLI Fundraising and Partnership Lead said:
‘On behalf of the charity I would like to say a big thank you to the Welsh Rugby Union for donating these fantastic prizes to the RNLI. RNLI volunteers are on call 24-7 and are often called away from important events such as family celebrations - or international rugby tournaments - to respond to the pager if someone is in trouble at sea.
‘Like all charities, 2020 was a challenging year for the RNLI when all traditional fundraising had to stop – all our shops were closed, there were no collections and all events had to be cancelled. This is why we at the RNLI are so grateful to all the team at WRU for their ongoing support. The auction is now live and we would like to encourage all Wales rugby supporters to throw the RNLI a lifeline and place their bid for the winning prize.’
To place a bid or find out more about the charity auction please visit https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/rnliwru.
Notes to editor
Signatures and caps, correct as of the signing of the shirts in Autumn 2020:
Forwards: Rhys Carre (8 Caps), Wyn Jones (25 Caps), Nicky Smith (35 Caps), Ryan Elias (13 Caps), Sam Parry (Ospreys)*, Samson Lee (41 Caps), Dillon Lewis (26 Caps), Tomas Francis (48 Caps), Leon Brown (10 Caps), Alun Wyn Jones (138 Caps), Will Rowlands (1 Cap), Jake Ball (46 Caps), Seb Davies (7 Caps), Cory Hill (25 Caps), Aaron Wainwright (21 Caps), Ross Moriarty (45 Caps), Taulupe Faletau (76 Caps), Josh Navidi (24 Caps), Justin Tipuric (76 Caps)
Backs: Rhys Webb (33 Caps), Gareth Davies (53 Caps), Kieran Hardy (Scarlets)*, Dan Biggar (83 Caps), Rhys Patchell (19 Caps), Callum Sheedy (Bristol)*, Owen Watkin (22 Caps), Nick Tompkins (4 Caps), Jonathan Davies (81 Caps), Johnny Williams (Scarlets)*, George North (95 Caps), Josh Adams (24 Caps), Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester)*, Jonah Holmes (3 Caps), Leigh Halfpenny (89 Caps), Ioan Lloyd (Bristol)*, Liam Williams (63 Caps)
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.