Omnigon, World Rugby unveil final phase of RWC2015 mobile app

With the Rugby World Cup due to commence at Twickenham, London, tomorrow (18 September) with a match between England and Fiji, Omnigon has announced the release of the third and final phase of the official RWC2015 mobile app.

The usage rate of this year’s Rugby World Cup app is expected to break previous records – and according to Omnigon, is already off to a huge start with hundreds of thousands of downloads for the first two phases of the app.

The final phase enables fans around the world to immerse themselves in the RWC2015 experience and allow them to share the tournament buzz with fellow fans whether they are attending matches or viewing the action at home or on the go. Fans will be able to view live and post-match stats for all matches including carries made, meters made, clean breaks, tackles success and tackles made, scrum success and scrum made and time of possession.

Other features of the app include: live match audio streaming; live expert blogging during matches; pre-match stats including games played, world rank of team, social media rank and more; full fixtures and results for each team; video highlights of each match; and in-venue messaging and offers.

As Omnigon’s Joanna Solowey recalls, the app was partly unveiled in two prior phases as part of a concerted “digital experience” leading up to the 2015 Cup. The first phase, released last November, enabled fans to receive World Rugby news, specific team information, tournament dates, venues, ticket information and details, and matches and pools. In addition, there were multiple social media features devised to empower fans to engage with each other and the teams, participate in trivia quizzes, as well as view archival World Cup videos.

Subsequently, in Spring 2015, the app was released in Spanish, French and Japanese, and in addition to the above content delivered a wealth of World Cup trophy tour details.

“We have been working to provide as much information to fans, and as many additional features to enhance the RWC experience as possible,” confirms Solowey.

“Omnigon and World Rugby have worked closely over the last year to develop a groundbreaking mobile app experience to be shared with the tens of millions of Rugby fans around the world,” said David Nugent, chief commercial officer, Omnigon. “The app is designed to engage and unite fans digitally and socially. We are excited to provide the worldwide Rugby community with one of the most compelling, interactive and informative experiences to date.”

The app, which is available in English, Spanish, French and Japanese, provides fans with all the latest news and information on RWC2015 including dates, venues, ticket information, trophy tour details, matches, pools and teams. Fans can also view archival World Cup videos and participate in trivia quizzes against fellow fans. Additionally, the app delivers specific location-based notifications native to the app holder. The app is available for iOS and Android smartphones internationally at Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

With 80 countries competing for the 20 world cup spots, viewers in more than 205 countries are expected to view RWC2015. The 2011 tournament had a cumulative world television audience of almost four billion viewers.