QBE Quick to Step in as Title Sponsor for RFU After Investec Cut Ties

Business insurance specialist QBE has announced it has signed an agreement with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to replace outgoing Investec as title sponsor of the Autumn Internationals.

Banking group Investec announced last week that it was ending its 12-year commercial partnership with the RFU after England’s fixture with Wales on 6th August – putting an stop to a sponsorship dating back to December 1998.

The RFU’s new deal with QBE will run for four years, starting in September 2012 through to the end of July 2016, and reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to rugby. The agreement expands upon QBE’s existing partnership with the RFU and complements their back of shirt sponsorship with Premiership Rugby.



Steven Burns, chief executive officer of QBE European Operations, said: “We are very pleased to become the title sponsor of such a prestigious tournament in the sporting calendar.
 


“The partnership not only deepens our existing relationship with rugby, but also allows the QBE brand and business to grow in the longer term. We look forward to developing the series together with the RFU in the coming months.”

The deal was finalised while the RFU on the lookout for a new CEO after the somewhat shock departure of John Steele last week. Steele was heavily criticised for the handling of the appointment of a new performance director of the body, with former World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward withdrawing his candidacy to remain faithful to his duties with the British Olympic Association (BOA).