The hard-fought, fiercely-battled final, which saw Exeter Chiefs lead for much of the game, ultimately ended with a score line of 37 - 34 in favour of London’s Saracens in front of a packed Twickenham with more than 75,000 fans creating an electric atmosphere.
And with Saracens overturning an 11-point deficit in the final 20 minutes of the match, Gallagher’s first season as proud title partner couldn’t have come to a more exciting close.
Beyond the highlights of the match itself, Gallagher was delighted to welcome thousands into its ‘Gallagher Way’ fanzone — one every four seconds — where fun and physical challenges helped them put their rugby skills to the test.
The morning of Finals day also saw Gallagher, Premiership Rugby and England Rugby welcome more than 170 young people to the latest Project Rugby festival, just down the road in the shadow of the stadium at Kneller Hall.
The community programme — of which Gallagher is an official partner — offers opportunities for young people to actively participate in the sport, especially from groups that might not otherwise have had access, including those with disabilities. More than 20,000 participants have been introduced to rugby since the initiative’s inception — with Gallagher wanting to make it 20,000 more by the end of 2020.
Immediately ahead of the final, Gallagher Chairman, President and CEO J. Patrick Gallagher Jr, remarked: “In our first season, we’ve had incredible opportunities to share the Gallagher story with people all over the world. And we’ve done it as a partnership with an organisation that shares our commitment to integrity, competition and inclusion. Together, we’ve brought the game to young people from underrepresented groups across the UK, helped community rugby teams face their future with confidence, celebrated the heroes of the game and recognised the leaders that make rugby a sport worth watching.”
After the season finale, Simon Matson, CEO of Gallagher’s UK broking and underwriting operations, commented: “It was an absolute pleasure welcoming fans from across the country and around the world to Twickenham Stadium to witness the very best in English rugby. Saturday’s phenomenal final was a fitting close to Gallagher’s first season as proud title partner of Premiership rugby, where from the very first days we’ve sought to champion the wider rugby community and its off-pitch heroes as much as the professionals on the pitch.
“As a community insurance broker, we’re committed to helping businesses and individuals protect what’s important to them and grow and achieve, so we’ll continue to shine a spotlight on all those local heroes at grassroots level who help make rugby an inclusive and empowering sport and go above and beyond to protect and grow the game. Here’s to an awesome second season.”
