The Lensbury and St Mary’s shortlisted as Rugby World Cup 2015 Team Base

The Lensbury Club in Teddington and St Mary’s University, Twickenham have been announced as being on the approved list of 65 approved Team Bases for the Rugby World Cup 2015. Following a strong response to the Team Base tender process, both The Lensbury and St Mary’s have been selected to be on the approved list of only 65 bases that meet the key selection criteria, and will move into the next stage of the selection process. Bases on the approved list are not guaranteed to host teams; however they will be used to provide the competing nations with their Team Base options, many of which are currently undertaking visits of prospective bases. Both The Lensbury and St Mary’s were selected as a combined venue, having previously worked together as a pre-Games training camp for the Irish Olympic team during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Together the venues, which are just a mile apart, meet international team training standards with indoor and outdoor training facilities, a gym, indoor swimming pool and hotel. What’s more Twickenham Stadium is just a few minutes away whilst Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Stadium are within easy reach, all of which have been identified as match venues during the tournament. The Lensbury General Manager Ivor Turner said, “We have a long history of hosting international rugby teams and key to meeting their needs has been our collaboration with St Mary’s University. Our facilities and those of St Mary’s are world class with two rugby pitches, state-of-the-art training facilities, a 25m swimming pool and, from April 2014, there will be 32 brand new team styled bedrooms in our Ascot building and a unique bespoke heavy weights room. “We are thrilled to have made it to the approved list and we are very excited at the possibility of hosting an international team during the Rugby World Cup 2015.” St Mary’s Director for Sport Andrew Reid-Smith said, “This is excellent news, it enhances St Mary’s established reputation for supporting international squads and develops the legacy of our London 2012 training camps. St Mary’s and The Lensbury would provide an outstanding environment for teams to prepare and we look forward to our potential involvement in Rugby World Cup 2015.”