Mud House named official sponsor of Lions rugby

Mud House of New Zealand has been named the official sponsor of the British and Irish Lions rugby tour, set to take place in New Zealand in 2017.

(L-R) Former All Blacks skipper Sean Fitzpatrick, British & Irish Lions COO Charlie McEwen, Paul Schaafsma, CEO of Accolade Wines, former England winger Jason Robinson

The partnership was announced at a press conference at New Zealand House in London this afternoon, attended by Paul Schaafsma, CEO of Accolade Wines, which acquired Mud House in 2013, and the British & Irish Lions COO, Charlie McEwen.

Also in attendance were former All Blacks skipper Sean Fitzpatrick and England’s former winger Jason Robinson, who have come on board to support the sponsorship as Mud House brand ambassadors, appearing in a series of adverts set to appear throughout the tournament on Sky Sports UK.

“A Lions tour is huge, especially one hosted by the World Champions”, said Paul Schaafsma. “We are also very proud to be working with our new Mud House brand ambassadors, Sean and Jason, who are here today and I would personally like to thank them for their support so far.

Best known for producing Pinot Noir from Central Otago and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, under the eye of winemaker Ben Glover, Mud House was selling just 10,000 cases in the UK in early 2014. A little over 12 months later, having been acquired by Accolade Wines, it was selling 380,000 cases annually in the UK, It is now the fifth largest wine brand in the UK selling more than 3 million bottles a year.

Accolade confirmed it would be investing £2m to support the campaign in the UK, with its team in New Zealand set to continue its efforts in New Zealand ahead of the Lions tour in June 2017.

Accolade Wines has in addition confirmed sponsorship of all Southern Hemisphere rugby coverage, to be broadcast on Sky Sports UK throughout 2016. This includes the Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, The Mitre 10 Cup (New Zealand) and The Currie Cup (South Africa).

“To support this Sky Sport sponsorship, we have filmed a set of new Mud House idents, starring five legends of rugby who have either played for, or against, the Lions”, said marketing director Amy White. “Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), Jason Robinson (England), Gavin Hastings (Scotland), Shane Williams (Wales) and Paul Wallace (Ireland) all feature with the strapline; ‘Rugby and Wine – It’s as clear as Mud’ playing on the not so obvious relationship between wine and rugby in a premium yet jovial way.”

The Lions Tour of New Zealand will comprise 10 games played throughout the country between 3 June and 8 July, including three Test matches against the double World Champions.