Prince Harry plays gardener in Rugby World Cup opening ceremony

Name: Rugby World Cup: 'One boy breaks a rule'
Uploaded: 2015-09-19T06:17:39+12:00
Duration: 220 s
Description: The ceremony opened with a film showing the history of the sport and its English roots from the playing fields of Rugby School in 1823 and the moment the young William Webb Ellis caught the ball and decided to run with it. This is the moment William Webb Ellis changed sporting history and invented the game of Rugby.

NZ Herald

18 Sep, 2015 08:22 PM2 mins to read

The ceremony opened with a film showing the history of the sport and its English roots from the playing fields of Rugby School in 1823 and the moment the young William Webb Ellis caught the ball and decided to run with it. This is the moment William Webb Ellis changed sporting history and invented the game of Rugby.

Organisers of Rugby World Cup's opening ceremony showed they had a sense of humour by transforming Prince Harry into a peasant gardener.

The stunt wasn't quite as dramatic as the Queen's starring role as a Bond girl at the opening of the London Olympic Games three years ago but Prince Harry still managed to raise the roof with a cameo in a film shown on the big screen at this morning's ceremony watched by 82,000 fans at Twickenham Stadium and screened to a huge global TV audience.

The popular royal appeared alongside former England international Jonny Wilkinson, dressed as a gardener in a clip designed to portray the birth of the sport over a century ago.

The video re-telling of the story of how rugby was invented by schoolboy Willliam Webb Ellis showed a boy picking up a football, sprinting past Prince Harry and Wilkinson who are shown leaning on their spades.

The prince's cameo drew laughter and then applause from the crowd which included his brother William, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who were watching from the stands.
It also echoed the Queen's starring role in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, during which she 'parachuted' into the Queen Elizabeth Stadium with the help of James Bond.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the Rugby World Cup 2015. Photo / Getty Images

Afterwards, a noticeably nervous Harry made a speech in which he spoke of his hopes that the tournament will 'inspire current players, those new to the game and future generations'.

Former England rugby international Jonny Wilkinson (L) carries the Webb Ellis Cup past a crowd prior to the opening ceremony of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Photo / Getty Images

Image 1 of 14: Former England rugby international Jonny Wilkinson (L) carries the Webb Ellis Cup past a crowd prior to the opening ceremony of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Photo / Getty Images