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Best rugby union stadiums in the world
By Jack Tunney
For many rugby fans, there’s very little more exciting than the buzz of attending a match on a Saturday afternoon.
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You’re on your way to the ground, you can feel the buzz of anticipation in the air. Maybe you’ll stop off for a quick pint before the game, and maybe you’ll visit the trusty burger van to fill yourself ready for the next couple of hours.
Once the classic pre-game ritual is complete, it’s time to make your way to the ground.
There are many fantastic grounds around the world, many beautiful scenic views, and some with phenomenal atmospheres.
Liverugbytickets.co.uk have conducted research aimed at identifying the rugby stadiums fans are most – and least – satisfied with. The study involved content analysis of over 15,000 TripAdvisor reviews for 40 different stadiums.
Let’s have a look at their top 10 findings:
10) Franklins Gardens – Northampton, England – 7.4/10
The Northampton Saints have been a hugely successful premiership rugby team since its introduction, no doubt due to the incredible atmosphere in the stadium.
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Despite being renovated numerous times, due to its poor cleanliness rating the age-old stadium finds itself just hanging on to the top 10.
9) Thomond Park – Limerick, Ireland – 7.4/10
Thomand Park is famously known for its terrific atmosphere during Munster home games. What it’s not quite so well known for is its quality of food. This is all set to change as the Munster faithful have given the stadium an almighty rating for the matchday grub.
This classic stadium would have been higher up this list if it wasn’t for their poor performance under the affordability section.
8) AAMI Park – Melbourne, Australia – 7.5/10
Home of the Melbourne Rebels, a club founded only in 2010, they were the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia.
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This beautiful stadium is used not just for rugby, but also for football matches and concerts. A very picturesque stadium, it’s highly rated in terms of cleanliness as well as how surprisingly affordable it is.
7) Sixways Stadium – Worcester, England – 7.6/10
A premiership minnow, Worcester Warriors had amassed a huge and loyal fanbase over the years, ones which could be heard during match days as far as neighbouring town Droitwich Spa.
Being a newer club to the premiership, Sixways had managed to keep its prices down, as well as being able to provide top-tier food for those eager onlookers.
6) Allianz Park – London, England – 7.7/10
One of the few stadiums in world rugby to have adopted the new 4G synthetic pitch.
Despite being a reported nightmare to play on, the 4G pitch certainly allows for some incredibly fast-paced rugby, which certainly gets the Saracens crowd roaring as their team challenges for title after title.
As well as the atmosphere, Allianz Park was given credit huge credit for the food provided. Affordability and cleanliness were certainly no strong points for this stadium, however.
5) Twickenham Stoop – Twickenham, England – 7.9/10
Situated right opposite the world-famous Twickenham Stadium, the Stoop is home to the colourful Harlequins.
Despite being located so close to London, The Stoop was most highly rated based upon the affordability of ticket prices.
4) Sandy Park – Exeter, England – 7.9/10
Arguably one of the windiest grounds in the world, the Exeter Chiefs have made this ground their own since moving over from the County Ground in 2006.
Sandy Park has made its way toward the top of this list based primarily on the affordability of their tickets.
3) Parc Y Scarlets – Llanelli, Wales – 8.0/10
Despite performing poorly in terms of atmosphere, the Parc Y Scarlets hit the heights in terms of their food.
Home of the Llanelli Scarlets, this Welsh haven is sure to keep the stomachs of those spectators full and satisfied.
2) Welford Road – Leicester, England – 9.0/10
Home of arguably the most successful English side in history, Welford Road has become a fortress for Leicester Tigers.
This stadium was highly rated across the board, but most notably involved the cleanliness of the place as well as the quality of the food.
1) Recreation Ground – Bath, England – 9.5/10
Arguably the most scenic professional stadium in world rugby, the Rec as it’s commonly known to their fans is set in the idyllic city of Bath. The stadium supplies views of the historic Bath Abbey, as well as being set right next to the picturesque Wier on the River Avon.
Despite having very limited seating, with arguably obscured views, the Rec has reached number 1 on our list due to the atmosphere, cleanliness, and affordability.
