Jason Robinson OBE – CamperKing Ambassador

Jason Robinson will be forever remembered for scoring England’s only try in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final. By doing this, he helped his side bring home the William Webb Ellis Trophy by beating Australia 20-17 in Sydney.

A dual-code success story, prior to playing rugby union, Jason had already had a glittering career in rugby league. He won every piece of silverware available during his time with Wigan, won 12 caps for Great Britain, and seven caps for England.

Making the code switch in November 2000, Jason joined Sale Sharks. Within three months of his union career, Jason was selected for England, and by the end of that season, he was named in the British & Irish Lions squad for its tour of Australia. Scoring five tries on his Lions debut, Jason was immortalised with an incredible try in the opening minutes of the game.

In 2004, Jason made history by becoming the England Rugby Men’s team’s first black captain.

He retired from international rugby in 2005 with 51 caps and having scored 28 tries, becoming a household name in the process. In 2006, he then lead Sale Sharks to the Guinness Premiership title by beating Leicester Tigers 45-20.

Jason was persuaded out of international retirement in 2007 by Head Coach Brian Ashton. He played his final game of international rugby against South Africa in the World Cup Final, where he sadly injured his shoulder but left the field to a standing ovation.

In the 2008 New Years Honours, Jason was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to sport, having previously been made an MBE for his role in the 2003 World Cup.

Jason, 47, has become a CamperKing ambassador after hearing about our ambassador programme through an acquaintance. He was excited to drive away in his new CamperKing Monte Carlo from our Warmington showroom.

He commented: “I’ve grown up with motorhomes and caravans. We used to have an old Volkswagen campervan with a concertina roof, and I just remember as a child knowing we were going on holiday and being really excited. We wouldn’t go far, to the east coast, Scarborough, and just pull up anywhere – sometimes just camping on train station car parks, but as a child it was just so much fun. We wouldn’t go too far, but it used to be really good family time.

“That’s what’s great about having this one now, and seeing the differences between it and what we had back in the day. With all the mod cons, it’s seems so easy to use, really flexible, and the kids are going to love the pop-top. It’s going to really add to family life, which now is key.”

He added: “I’m an ex-professional sportsman and used to flying here, there and doing all sorts of things, but one of the things I really value is that quality family time.”

Today, Jason is an international ambassador for the Rugby League World Cup, due to be held in England in October and November 2022.

With his family having owned VW campervans whilst he was growing up, campervanning played a key part in Jason’s childhood. This is something that he will be replicating in his CamperKing campervan.