The Rugby Football Union, the governing body of rugby union in England, has secured a new partnership with onling gambling brand PokerStars for the next two years.

PokerStars has become the RFU's official gaming partner, and will receive significant advertising space around Twickenham, the home of English rugby, as well as in match programmes, and will receive a range of benefits including player appearances in addition to tickets and corporate hospitality at the stadium.

The company is running 'England Rugby Challenge' tournaments every day in October, which will give fans the chance to watch an England training session and matches in the Investec Challenge series at Twickenham in November.

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"It is always exciting to welcome a new partner to the RFU family," said Paul Vaughan, business operations director for the RFU. "The growth of the game over the past few years has deepened and broadened our supporter base both at matches and through our supporter clubs and as a result our rugby watching audience is a perfect match for brands like PokerStars. We are looking forward to working closely with them to help them meet their sponsorship objectives."

Julia Tasker, regional director for PokerStars, added: "As a brand we are excited to be involved with the RFU. This two-year sponsorship deal will continue to associate the PokerStars brand to premier sporting events and talent, whilst also enabling rugby fans to interact with the world's premier online poker room in live environments."