If the cost of the tickets for the Rugby World Cup tickets is simply too high or you weren’t lucky enough to receive an allocation of tickets then consider joining in the fun by attending one of the warm up matches.
On Saturday, I attended the first ever rugby match at The Queen Elizabeth Park Olympic Stadium. There were around 41,000 other people there to see the Barbarians take on Samoa.
The journey to Stratford was easy and we arrived early enough to grab a bite to eat at Westfield. My companion was delighted to report that she had spied some England Hockey star players who she was due to watch the following day at the championships (England won!).
I was rather disappointed that there was so much development work taking place near the stadium – it meant we had to walk a rather long way round to gain access. But once there we were greeted warmly and sped through the ticket barriers. We grabbed a couple of bottles of cider from the well-staffed bar and made our way through to the seats. I have to say that the seats are much more comfortable than at Twickenham.
There were some cheer leaders to get things started. Then the anthems before Samoa did a version of their Haka called the Manu Siva Tau. And we were off!
And what an exciting game. The Barbarians scored their first try within two minutes and Samoa equalized within another two minutes. It was a good game with lots of action – some cracking tries from both sides, both red and yellow cards and even an unexpected burst from the pitch sprinklers which caused much amusement. Let’s hope they smooth that wrinkle out.
At half time it was 17 all and they played well in the second half although both sides seemed to flag a little. The Barbarians won narrowly with a 27-24 score but I thought the Samoans had played a fierce and brave match.
It didn’t take long to get through the crowds to the transport systems although I did feel a little sorry for the Westfield shoppers who were inadvertently caught up in the queuing system.
Be warned that the smoking rules are draconian at the Olympic Stadium – none is allowed at all anywhere and if you leave the stadium there’s no re-entry. I also had a really tough time getting a phone signal from O2. And I really hope that when the stadium is full and it is the World Cup that there’s a bit more singing and atmosphere.
There are still tickets available for further warm up matches at Twickenham before the main event kicks off when England plays Fiji on 18th September.
Twickenham warm up rugby matches http://www.autumn-internationals.co.uk/RWC-2015/england-fixtures.html
Main RWC fixtures http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/fixtures
