IRFU Seeks Withdrawal Of Advertising Campaign : Irish Rugby

The Irish Rugby Football Union has made contact, through its solicitors, with Largo Foods, the distributors of Hunky Dorys, and requested that they immediately withdraw the current advertising campaign, the strap line for which claims Hunky Dorys to be 'Proud Sponsors of Irish Rugby.'

Padraig Power, the IRFU's Commercial and Marketing Director, stated: "This advertising campaign is in very bad taste and one which the IRFU would not want to be associated with in any way.

"Firstly, its blatant exploitation of women is tasteless and base, and quite simply unacceptable. Irish rugby has a strong family focus and would not tolerate any connection with such an approach.

"Secondly, the claim that the product is a 'Proud Sponsor of Irish Rugby' implies that the company is a significant sponsor of the game in this country, through the IRFU. This is absolutely untrue and a cynical ploy in an attempt to capitalise on the popularity of the game.

"By doing so, it has the potential to undermine the legitimate claims of the many genuine sponsors and supporters of Irish rugby whose investment has been a key element in the success of rugby at grassroots level throughout the country, and of our provincial and national squads.

"In addition to pursuing the immediate withdrawal of the campaign through legal means, we are also writing to the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland bringing to their attention the misleading claims.

"We would hope that the management of Largo Foods would withdraw the campaign immediately."

Marie Louise Reilly joined her Ireland team-mates Nora Stapleton and Lindsay Peat at a recent Dublin City Council event in support of the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup. Reilly, who works as a DCC Sports Officer, said: "The team are coming together really well, we're working hard and hopefully August will be really memorable not just for us but for the whole country."

Fiona Coghlan, Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 Ambassador and Chair of the Dublin City Sports and Wellbeing Partnership, speaks about Dublin City Council's support of the tournament in August and the momentum and excitement building in the capital and around the four provinces for WRWC 2017.