It may now be a sensitive subject what with England's crushing defeat at the hands of the Wallabies on Saturday night, but last week saw Oxford Properties, owners of The Royal Exchange celebrate the Rugby World Cup 2015 in style with an energetic Q&A session with the Leicester Tigers, in collaboration with Chester Barrie, the team's official menswear sponsor.
As a Tigers fan since my university days in the city, I was distraught to have to miss it - my one opportunity to finally meet Tom Croft. The Q&A, with players past and present including ex-captain Martin Corry, was held in the Central Courtyard of The Royal Exchange.
The Q&A session was hosted by former Tigers stalwart Matt Poole who led the discussion with current Tigers and England players Tom Croft, Matt Tait, Freddy Burns and Miles Benjamin, along with Corry and other former stars Louis Deacon and Geordan Murphy, all of whom I had the pleasure of seeing play at Welford Road in their heyday.
During the event, 400 guests enjoyed a drinks reception in the magnificent Central Courtyard of The Royal Exchange, while mingling with the players and viewing collections from Chester Barrie's Autumn/Winter 2015 collection as seen during London Collections Men.
All the players wore their made-to-measure Chester Barrie outfits. The jacket, trouser and shirt combination is generally worn at post-match functions and public events but has proved so popular with players that they wear it outside club business. Designed to look smart and stylish but to be also hard-wearing, the outfit consists of a single-breasted jacket with patch pockets in a mid-grey marled wool, dark charcoal trousers and blue shirt with semi-cutaway collar. The players also have an exclusively designed Tigers tie.
Chris Scott-Gray, Head of Marketing at Chester Barrie, said: "It was good to be able to work with Oxford Properties to create a Leicester Tigers event in the beautiful surroundings of The Royal Exchange – a great environment with real heritage. I think the guys from Tigers have enjoyed themselves this evening, talking rugby and meeting a wide group of people. And certainly our guests have learnt a lot and been entertained too. It was an event worthy of the World Cup."
Love Laurel x
