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Healey kicks off Heineken Cup tour

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The 2007 Heineken Cup Trophy Tour started at the spiritual home of rugby union when it launched a 1,500-mile journey around England at Rugby School yesterday. Former Tigers favourite Austin Healey was at the centre of the launch, having been named as an ambassador for the 2007 final.

 From the field on which the game was first invented more than 150 years ago the trophy will head to the home of the 2007 final, Twickenham Stadium, on Saturday before visiting Dover, Penzance, Carlisle and Alnwick before Christmas.

"The idea behind the tour is to take the Heineken Cup out onto the road in the country that is hosting the final. We have had considerable success in stimulating interest in the tournament, and more specifically the final, in Scotland and Wales in recent years," said ERC Chief Executive Derek McGrath.

"We wanted to start in Rugby this time because this week is the 200th anniversary of the birth of the founder of our game, William Webb Ellis. I am delighted the Rugby School Head Master, Patrick Derham, was able to accommodate our request to visit his school and allow Austin to take the Heineken Cup onto The Close to pay ERC's small tribute to the man who first picked up the ball and ran with it.

"The Heineken Cup final has quickly established itself as one of the biggest showpiece events in the world game and it is fitting that in the season in which we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of William Webb Ellis' birth that our final will be staged at the home of English rugby, Twickenham Stadium."

Austin Healey will join forces with his fellow London '07 Heineken Cup final ambassador, Miss London, at the second Test between England and South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday for the second leg of the trophy tour.

From there the Heineken Cup will visit all four corners of England before returning to Twickenham before Christmas.

AUSTIN HEALEY AND THE HEINEKEN CUP

Austin Healey is one of the greatest performers in the history of the Heineken Cup. He played in three finals, has two winners' medals, was the Heineken Man of the Match in two finals and has an ERC Elite Award for playing 50 games in the tournament.

He made his European debut in the 43-3 home win over Scottish Borders on 19 October, 1996 and scored crucial tries for the Tigers' on their march to the final against Llanelli in the Pool stages and Toulouse in the semi-final.

Leicester were beaten 28-9 by Brive in the 1997 final at Cardiff Arms Park and were knocked-out in the quarter-finals the following year. He was the chief inspiration behind the sensational Leicester triumph in the 2001 final against Stade Francais at Parc des Princes.

His switch from scrum-half to outside-half late in the game transformed the game as he paved the way for Leon Lloyd to notch his second try. He won the Man-of-the-Match award in Paris and was also given the accolade the following year in Cardiff when the Tigers' made it back to back victories.

This time he started at outside-half and scored one of his side's two tries in a 15-9 win over Munster at the Millennium Stadium.

In all he made 53 appearances in the Heineken Cup for Leicester Tigers, scored 13 tries and 76 points. Austin also played 51 times for England and won two British & Irish Lions Test caps in 1997 in South Africa. He also toured with the Lions in Australia in 2001.