At Student Horizons, we have a long history of taking school rugby groups to the Rugby World Cup from Australia and New Zealand, and in 2023 France is shaping up to provide another truly amazing experience for life. Pre-Covid France was one of our most popular long haul touring destinations, with the opportunity to combine the rich history of France with some amazing sporting opportunities. The proximity to the UK also makes it easier to combine a trip to France with the chance to visit England, Scotland and Ireland. It’s reassuring to see the progress the UK and Europe are making with their respective vaccine roll out programmes and heartening to see the trend data on the number of new Covid cases gradually falling. It feels like the worse is over and the long road to recovery has begun.
Unlike Japan, France is very accessible for mainland Europe and we know that demand for accommodation and tickets is incredibly high as the home nations fans from the UK compete with the French locals to secure space at what will be the biggest world cup ever.
We are already engaged with a handful of school rugby groups in Australia and New Zealand, exploring their options for touring to Europe in 2023 and be part of the World Cup experience. Some groups are looking to base themselves in the UK and spend a few days in France, taking in a game or two on the way home. Another option is to build an itinerary completely based in France and be fully immersed in the Rugby World Cup festival. The Sep/Oct 2023 window is a perfect window to travel to Europe for both Australia and New Zealand school groups. Take advantage of the school holidays and the pleasant climate in Europe at that time of the year. As was the case in Japan, this will make for an end of season school rugby tour.
RWC 2023 is still two and half years away. Uncertainty around international travel will continue for many months to come but when the borders do re-open, we anticipate high demand and supply is unlikely to be immediately back to pre-covid levels.
Now is the time to start dreaming and we are here to discuss your options and provide some initial itineraries for your perusal.
If you’d like to have a chat with us to explore options and understand indicative pricing, then please enquire and we will be in touch.
