The IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 tournament event mark can be accessed by the media for editorial usage via www.nz2011services.com.

"The previous event mark had evolved gradually over the last 20 years and while it has served the tournament remarkably well the Board decided it was time to refresh the look and feel of the tournament. In its relatively short history Rugby World Cup has become one of the largest, most colourful and most successful sporting events in the world," said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"The new event mark keeps many of the elements that the global sports community has come to associate with the tournament including the rugby blue and union green colouring and the stylised rugby ball insignia. However, the new design brings a fresh perspective to these elements befitting a dynamic tournament that continues to grow in popularity," added Mr Lapasset.

The new event mark was developed by the IRB in association with its commercial agent IMG and design house WiteKite from Sydney, Australia.

The next step in the look and feel of Rugby World Cup 2011 is the development of a country relevant script that will designate New Zealand as the host country for 2011. This will be unveiled later this year.

The event mark will also be replicated for other Rugby World Cup tournaments including the Women's RWC, RWC Sevens and RWC qualifiers.