Prince Harry films rugby message

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A video message in support of England's bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 has been recorded by Prince Harry.

It has been posted on the Rugby Football Union's (RFU) website.

The prince, who watched the England team in the 2007 final, has publicly backed the efforts of the English ruling body to stage the tournament.

He describes himself in the video as "a huge rugby fan" and says he wanted to "give you all a sense of the passion that we have for the game in England".

A delegation that included 2003 Rugby World Cup winners Lawrence Dallaglio and Will Greenwood presented details of the RFU's bid to the International Rugby Board this week.

Prince Harry has watched several England international matches and also saw the team play during the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, when they won the tournament.

We would pack iconic stadiums with excited supporters like me giving people an unforgettable supporting experience Prince Harry

He said: "As a mere rugby fan I'm not going to attempt to do justice to the technicalities of England's first-class bid in a very short message.

"But what I do want to do though, is give you all a sense of the passion that we have for the game in England.

"The passion we would bring to the tournament if we were lucky enough to win it.

"We would pack iconic stadiums with excited supporters like me giving people an unforgettable supporting experience.

"It would give England an opportunity to bring even more people into this brilliant game called rugby."

If the RFU's bid was successful then pool stages would be held in nine cities across England.