Barbados' bid for a spot at the 2007 International Rugby Board's World Cup was given a major boost by a major sponsor in the United Kingdom.


The local rugby team had sent out an SOS to any sponsors who could help, but no one locally responded. A report was published in the Telegraph newspaper in England and the Montpellier Financial Group stepped up.


Barbados will oppose the United States in San Francisco and Canada at the Garrison Savannah in their final World Cup qualifiers in June and July. If they win both they will move on to the sport's biggest tournament. If the Bajans lose one, they will enter the play-offs with the hopes of pinching the final spot.
Before the matches, the Barbados team will have a camp from May 12 to 20 in England where they will train at the home of the Leicester Tigers, one of the leading teams in Britain.


Coach of the Barbados team, Joe Whipple, said he was excited about the new deal but was quite disappointed that no local support was forthcoming.

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"The assistance we are getting from Montpellier is superb and it will help us get to the camp in Britain. It will certainly help us a long way and it is critical," said Whipple.
"But we are hugely disappointed that we have not been getting any local support. People here seem not to realise that we are on the verge of going to the World Cup. This is not just the first time that a Bajan team has reached this far, it's the first time a team in the entire West Indies has done so well."

Montpellier Financial Group, based in Britain but with offices around the globe, including Bridgetown, stepped in with hard cash. Hitherto the Bajan players have been entirely self-financing as they have battled their way through three qualifying pools over the past two years. Montpellier are also putting on an official reception for the Canadian game, and their workforce on the island has volunteered.


Another British company, Kukri, has donated the match kit, while Cockspur Rum UK and the construction company Johnston's International have also come forward with secondary sponsorship deals.


Virgin Atlantic are providing reduced rates for the squad to travel to England next month.


Source: Philip Spooner, IRB Forum