As mobile phone provider O2 and England Rugby celebrate 21 years of teamwork, decorated with a World Cup in 2003 and a host of Six Nations championships, a recent extension through to 2021 makes the sponsorship one of the longest in sports history.

With the partnership unified across the entire fold of England's rugby teams, O2 continues to see its name at the heart of the sporting world. Yet the new five-season deal hopes to embrace digital as a key focus for the future, aiming to improve supporter experience with new interactive features targeting mobile integration, connectivity and digital content.

With O2's continuous involvement propping up much of England Rugby's sports initiatives, programmes such as O2 Priority and O2 Touch will develop a range of rugby facilities over the next five years, building on the success of its ongoing 'Wear the Rose' campaign.

Mark Evans, CEO of O2, comments, "O2 has been a proud partner of England Rugby for over two decades and we’re delighted to be continuing our longstanding and successful support. This new agreement is a testament to our sponsorship strategy, focussing on high quality, long term partnerships. Rugby is in O2’s DNA and we’re excited to take this fantastic sport to even more people than ever before, from grassroots to elite. We will continue to passionately support the team through Wear the Rose with a commitment to using technology and connectivity to bring our customers and rugby fans across the country even closer to the action.”