HE BEGAN playing rugby as a young Southampton boy but now Mike Brown is the face of a national campaign as the Rugby World Cup kicks off tonight.

Immortalised in giant cartoon form, the former Peter Symonds College student is at the heart of a call to bring the country together to back the England team.

The ‘Wear the Rose’ initiative, has been started by England Rugby’s sponsor O2 and features Mike and other key England players growing into giants, with every fan that cheers them on.

The current Harlequins full-back is expected to have a big impact in the tournament which starts tonight with England's opener against Fiji.

Mike's former college was quick to send their support, they said: “We are extremely proud of what he has achieved. The whole college is rooting for him and the rest of the team in the World Cup!”

Including a highly praised cartoon advert, the campaign plans to get more fans involved in the upcoming tournament, with the slogan “Show it. Wear it. Share it. Make them giants.”

It tasks members of the public to show their support for the team by getting them to hashtag ‘#WearTheRose’ on social media, as well as watching England matches and wearing team shirts. Head of Sports Sponsorship at O2, Gareth Griffiths, said: “This year we are calling upon the entire country to Wear the Rose and get behind the England Rugby Team.

Daily Echo:

“To do that we need a symbol that represents the very heart of England, a symbol sewn onto the chest of every England Rugby shirt - the red rose “If you’re going to watch England play at Twickenham, down the pub with your mates, or even at home, show the power of your support – get your England Rugby shirt on, Wear the Rose.”

England head coach Stuart Lancaster has rallied the whole country to get behind Mike and the rest of the squad. He said: “The power of support can be the difference between victory and defeat. The support we get is fantastic and I’m sure that in this special year for rugby our fans can be that difference.”

Brown was called up to the national squad in 2007 and has now been capped 38 times for his country.

England have been drawn in what has been dubbed the ‘pool of death’ which features Australia, Uruguay, Fiji and Wales.

• The big kick off is tonight at 8pm, when England take on Fiji at Twickenham, following the opening ceremony.