Over the last few weeks, we have been privileged to move several of the stars who have featured in this year’s 2023 Rugby World Cup in France!
One of these players included veteran Pumas hooker Agustín Creevy, who played an absolutely pivotal role off the bench during Argentina’s quarter-final victory against Wales. He is a fantastic guy and player, and we were delighted to help him with his move.
Here’s what Agustiín had to say about the move:
“Matt and his team helped me and my family move locally within London. We live in an apartment and there were a couple of tricky items to move – but the team took care of absolutely everything, including the packing of our boxes.
“I would really recommend Matt and the Ballards team to anyone moving.”
Leva Fifta is another one of our fantastic clients, who has put on an awesome display at the Rugby World Cup – starting every pool game for the Tonga team. Tonga were in a tough pool, but played extremely well and gave us some awesome rugby matches to watch.
Leva is now back at the day job with his new club, Oyonnax, which is based in France. Matt Ballard caught up with Leva to find out what he had to say about our service:
“A few years ago, Matt and his team handled our move from France to Ireland. Recently, he has also arranged for some of our things to be shipped from storage in Ireland to Oyonnax in France. This move also went very well – especially as I was arranging it during the World Cup so it was a busy time. The level of communication at times to best suit me was great.”
The third player that we had the pleasure of moving was Lima Sopoaga, who is a former All Black who went back to his roots following the change of eligibility rules – meaning he could represent Samoa.
With such great pedigree, Lima was always going to make a significant impact – and it was very special to see him in the Samoan blue!
Lima was already in Japan when our initial collection was made, but the final arrangement and shipping of the goods took place during the World Cup pool stages – meaning that communication was sometimes tricky with the players being so busy.
Here’s what Lima had to say about the Ballards service:
“Matt and his guys first moved me to France after lockdown – I remember parking the truck was very difficult, but regardless, the move went well.
“When we moved from France to Japan, I asked Matt to arrange for a small consignment to be sent. We had various options to send it via sea or air, and we chose to opt for the air freight option.
‘Whilst the customs process wasn’t straightforward, Matt and his team were always on hand to guide us through the process. Great job again guys!”
We also received some fantastic feedback from Ryan, Director of Talent & Rights at Twenty Sports Group – an industry-leader in sports management. He said:
“I work with a player that is part of an international squad, and needed to arrange a move from the UK to France at fairly short notice.
“This was during the Rugby World Cup, and the goods needed to be delivered to coincide with the player’s time off. I made initial contact with Matt on the Tuesday, and the quote was provided quickly.
“Collection was arranged for the Sunday, with delivery in France the following day. As well as arranging the move in record time, Matt and his team were able to take great care of all of the customs formalities. I will certainly be asking Ballards to quote for any moves that I need assistance with in the future.”
Our Group Managing Director, Matt Ballard, said:
“We just want to thank our fantastic customers for their continued confidence and support in us here at Ballards. We always strive to provide the best possible service for all of our clients, so it’s really fantastic to be recognised once again for our efforts.”
“I am a huge rugby fan myself, and really enjoy assisting the players wherever I can, helping them to move around the world. As well as working with some of the best international players, Ballards also supports grassroots rugby too. I play for Ollerton RUFC myself, and our firm proudly sponsors England Fire Service Rugby and our local club, the Bassetlaw Bulldogs.
“Rugby will always be one of my greatest passions, so being able to help to make rugby players’ lives easier really means a lot to our family business.”
If you need any help with your move – whether it’s local, national or international, we’re on hand to help! Get in touch with our helpful team today for a quote.