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Tue 18 Nov 2014 | 06:21
The International Rugby Board rebrands, changes name to World Rugby

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The International Rugby Board (IRB) have officially rebranded and changed names to World Rugby, as announced earlier today at the World Rugby Conference and Exhibition 2014 in London. The new look includes a new logo and website. 

While the IRB has become synonymous with fans around the planet as the organistation that runs the sport, they felt that the name wasn't fully encompassing of their mission statement to grow the game globally, so have changed it to World Rugby, and brought out a new look and feel.

At the heart of the brand is a distinctive positioning, expressed visually through a modernised and progressive logo that embodies World Rugby’s mission statement to grow the game globally, retaining a link to the organisation’s heritage through its blue and green colour scheme.

Design and branding experts FutureBrand came up with the logo, which aims to help deliver the mission to build a stronger connection with fans, players and commercial partners, ultimately engaging new audiences worldwide. Chief Executive officer Brett Gosper explaned:

"In an incredibly competitive global entertainment and sporting marketplace, Rugby must continue to appeal to those who know and love the sport and its heritage, while attracting, engaging and inspiring those who have no connection with the sport across multiple cultures and languages around the world.

"Supported by a new name, a distinctive, optimistic and progressive new brand, and clear character-building values World Rugby collectively has the ingredients and tools to do just that. We want everyone to feel connected with the sport and Rugby’s ongoing success story," Gosper said.

"Our new brand certainly stands out and enables us to promote our consumer-facing properties in a way that they will be more appealing and impactful to the sport’s growing global fan base."

Regarding the Rugby World Cup, we are waiting for clarification but it appears that the logo will be untouched. "The rebrand will have no impact on Rugby World Cup 2015 branding or positioning, which will remain as it is with its iconic logo throughout the current event cycle," said a statement.

The new visual identity will make it's debut on official match jerseys this weekend.

Below is a video that was launched today along with the new logo and identity.

Posted By: Grant Constable

10 Comments

  • kadova
    8:29 PM 30/11/2014

    about.

  • kadova
    8:29 PM 30/11/2014

    That's russian language. Cannot say what it is aout.

  • drg
    8:52 AM 23/11/2014

    ....perhaps it gives an indication of the way the game is going....

  • pipo
    9:28 AM 20/11/2014

    #bringbackrucking

  • drg
    4:18 PM 19/11/2014

    Actually it's an interesting point you've made regarding the shoeing or 'torpedoing'...

    ...I'm not 100% sure what you mean by that, can I correctly assume that you're referring to players more or less launching themselves into other players who are prone to sort of shunt them out the way??

    As I said, if the above is a correct assumption then I'll admit you've made a very good point. What does shoeing really do? Provided we're not involving heads/ears/faces etc, then we're talking about giving someone a relatively short period 'ouch', perhaps some superficial scratches/cuts/bruises.... but all in all probably a 'looks worse than it is' sort of 'injury'.

    Throwing Bakkies Botha sized players into other players; as you mentioned, must surely have the potential to produce far worse 'deep' injuries which may not be apparent initially, but may manifest over time as each one is added to another - repetitive concussions etc.

    I'm happy for sort of old school rules, but not old school lineouts... like these bloody things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v35tIBCw7RI

  • reality
    2:01 PM 19/11/2014

    Are you joking? About a quarter of all the footage of people playing rugby were of women playing it. Whether you like it or not, very few people care about women's rugby at all, and they represent a tiny, tiny fraction of the global player base and interest, so I'd say if anything, they're wildly overrepresented in this video.

    China makes up nearly a third of the world's population but I didn't see the Chinese team in it even once.

  • friedrich
    8:52 AM 19/11/2014

    Yes peeps we seem to agree. Btw this is nicely in line with the rebranding of the H Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup to the European Rugby Champions Cup (so theyre champions now hey? + how lovely it rolls of the tongue right?) + ofcourse they take their tactics from the football world to target the masses (examples everywhere). all so systematically and calmly (remember ELV making rugby "more appealing to the masses" . "more fluid, fast running rugby". ). They are perverting the sport at every level. sound the alarm.

    Time for a variation of rugby union - rugby union old school rules. Mkay? Yeah back when it was more resembling a battle with retreat in to your own 22 clearing out that ball gain some ground but lose possession. Omfg can't really say I enjoy what rugby has become. Oh yes: shoeing people out of the way, instead of torpedoing them out of the ruck = the preferred manner of removing people right now (what traumas those professional brains are sustaining right now and what the effect of it will be in the future is anybodies guess).

    Who is with me for this Rugby Union - Old School Rules ?

  • drg
    7:22 AM 19/11/2014

    Same shit different packaging?

    What is the need? Have they ballsed up the game so much that they feel embarrassed of the IRB label, they've tarnished it so much that they're switching to a new one?

    To be honest, I actually find "International rugby board" has/had some clout and power with that name, it sounds powerful and not to be messed with. "World Rugby" sounds like some 13 year old school project where they have to design a company - Perhaps a young lad who is a fan of the 'Rugby World' magazine figured they could make a magazine and call it 'World Rugby'...

  • friedrich
    3:20 AM 19/11/2014

    Whoever approved that video in production should be fired. Cursive text ? Hello ? Btw new logo is just plain awful.

  • i_bleed_green_and_gold
    11:59 PM 18/11/2014

    World rugby rugby world cup??? ... really?

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