The Vodacom United Rugby Championship has been around for three years and found a home with three different champions in that time, but ahead of the first Grand Final in the northern hemisphere, it’s worth taking a look at some of the hidden details you might not know about.
- The trophy’s official name is ‘The Array’; however, those who have been responsible for it have nicknamed it ‘Beastie’
- Weighing in at 20 kilograms, the Array is the heaviest trophy in club rugby (20kg)
- It stands 68 cm tall (before it’s placed on its stand)
- You’ll need some strong arms, but you can absolutely get to enjoy the taste of success with its 12-litre capacity that can hold around 25 pints of beer or 12 bottles of champagne!
- The trophy was crafted by Thomas Lyte of London, makers of the FA Cup
- Former winning coaches and players were consulted before the design, who said the trophy had to be: “Bloody big”, “Needs handles” and “You needed to be able to drink from it”
- Trophy body is silver-plated, hand-spun from a single metal sheet; arms were 3D printed and electroformed
- Named “The Array”, it features four U-shaped arms, each representing Wales, Scotland, Ireland, or South Africa
- Each arm is etched with a national shield and the word “Champions” in four languages
- Designed with eight handles for team celebrations, reflecting the URC’s team-first ethos
- Blue aluminum “crown” lid is engraved with the logo, removable for celebrations
- Trophy includes a watertight central chamber that lights up the lid from below, creating a glowing effect
