THE firm which is to sponsor Wales’ rugby shirts boasted it was “Welsh and proud” yesterday as details of its multi-million-pound sponsorship were confirmed.

Cardiff-based insurance company Admiral – the only Welsh FTSE 100 firm – will take over from current sponsor Brains for the next three years after signing the lucrative deal with the WRU.

The company’s boss, Henry Engelhardt, told Wales on Sunday that it was an unusual move for the international company.

He said: “We don’t tend to sponsor anybody as a rule as it doesn’t really pay.

“But we’re a Welsh company and the largest company in Wales so we felt this was a super opportunity.

“When we found out that the existing sponsorship deal was coming to an end, it was more or less a meeting of like minds between Admiral and the WRU.”

Mr Engelhardt said that his company would be contributing a substantial amount of money over the next three years.

“It’s something quite new for us,” he said.

“But I love rugby and really love the passion and the atmosphere of the game. You have a cracking day in the stadium and the feeling when Wales won the Grand Slams was amazing.

“Sponsoring the Welsh rugby team is very much about the local aspect. We employ locally and it’s the best shirt in Wales to be on!”

He added that Admiral would not be extending its sponsorship to any other teams. The firm employs 3,000 people across South Wales and also has offices in Italy, France, Germany and the USA.

The Welsh fans will be able to see the new strip when the team play autumn internationals at the Millennium Stadium later this year.

Group chief executive of the WRU, Roger Lewis, said that he was “very, very excited” about the new partnership with what he described as the “biggest and best company in Wales”.

He added: “This is a great deal we have done which will take us forward for years to come. It makes sound financial sense for both parties.”

Mr Lewis added that outgoing sponsor, Brains, would continue to have ‘pourage’ rights at the stadium, giving them exclusive rights to sell beer there.

“Brains has been a great partner and very creative,” he said.

“Now the time is right for Welsh rugby to move into a new sphere twinned with Admiral which takes Wales onto the commercial stage.”

Flanker Martyn Williams, who won his 95th cap in the Italy game yesterday, said that it was “every Welsh person’s dream to put on the Wales jersey” and that he hoped to “do Admiral justice” by wearing the new shirt in the autumn.

The most famous sporting jersey in Wales remains a big global brand and there had been interest from various parties in sponsoring the team, despite a dip in results over the past 18 months.

Admiral will follow in the footsteps of communications firm Redstone, footwear company Rockport and, more recently, Brains in having its name on the Welsh shirts.

Sponsorship with SA Brain & Co began in 2004 and Wales won two Grand Slams, in 2005 and 2008, with the brand name emblazoned on their shirt.

And in September last year the WRU announced it had extended its shirt sponsorship deal with Brains – which takes it up to this year’s summer tour.

Since its launch in 1993, Admiral has grown into one of the UK’s most high-profile car insurance specialists with nearly two million customers.

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