3. Stadio Olimpico
Stadium capacity: 70,634, Rome
Matches covered: Italy v England, Six Nations 2024 & 2026
Safe to say, covering a match at the Stadio Olimpico is a rugby experience like none other. I’ve been to the incredible Roman arena twice, both times to cover England against Italy in the 2024 and 2026 Six Nations. I’ll get a taste of the Irish experience in Rome next year, when Andy Farrell’s side heads to the Eternal City.
The setting is simply the selling point. Nestled in the north-west of the Italian capital, the Stadio Olimpico is watched over by the colossal statue of Madonna di Monte Mario, while the vibrancy of Italy and the history of the city are on display from the moment you arrive.
You walk through a series of Olympic-era statues before reaching the home of the Azzurri. You are engulfed by quintessentially Italian sights, sounds and smells. Rich Arabica coffee drifts upon the wind from the espresso roasters, giving the Italy fans that extra bit of fire in their spirits to get behind their side.
That certainly worked the last time I was there. Italy defeated England for the first time ever in the 2026 Six Nations. Fresh pizza is stone-baked, hot wraps are packed with succulent Italian meats and cheeses, and the culture of the food vendors is a world away from the chip-based options I usually tuck into.
Or the Twickenham-style wine, port and cheeseboard array I’ve witnessed being served from the boot of a Range Rover Evoque in the Rosebine car park on the walk up Chertsey Road. If you’ve done this, you’re posh. No questions asked.
For the media, Italy does things with customary style. It is the only place I’ve ever worked that allows journalists to enjoy a couple of Peronis before the match, with the bar open for the travelling press. Then there is the pre-match meal. Hot and cold Italian meats. An array of cheeses. And a delectable tiramisu to finish. Then comes my favourite part of the Italian matchday.
The anthem. It is one of the most divisive debates in international rugby: who has the best national anthem? Whilst everyone outside England agrees that God Save the King is objectively the worst pre-match song, my personal favourite is Il Canto degli Italiani — ‘The Song of the Italians’. When the opening line of Fratelli d’Italia — ‘Brothers of Italy’ — is belted out, the voices of generations of Roman soldiers seem to rise behind their team.
Then comes the crescendo. Siam pronti alla morte, L’Italia chiamò. Now, my Italian goes as far as the first few stages of Duolingo and being able to order a caffè, but discovering that the closing lines translate to ‘We are ready to die, Italy has called’ makes the whole thing considerably more dramatic.
The actual aesthetics of the Stadio Olimpico are stunning. A firecracker smoke display projects green, white and red in front of a sea of oceanic blue, as home supporters proudly don the iconic Azzurri jersey. It is genuinely brilliant to see rugby continue to pick up traction in Italy. Gare the days when Italy were perceived simply as the easy win of the Six Nations. This is now the away trip I am most excited about returning to next year’s Championship.
2. Principality Stadium
Stadium capacity: 73,931, Cardiff
Matches covered: Wales v England, Six Nations 2025; EPCR Challenge Cup Final; Champions Cup Final
It has a roof. Enough said.
OK, to elaborate. The Principality Stadium — formerly the Millennium Stadium — is a feat of engineering brilliance. Almost every time there is a match in the heart of Cardiff, the discourse around ‘will the roof be open or closed?’ inevitably enters the conversation. I’m sure this was much to the chagrin of Warren Gatland during his epic time at the helm.
But the setting is perfect for Wales. Nestled literally in the heart of the capital city, there is no awkward trek on a packed train out to the border boroughs or into the sticks of the city limits. You can walk from a Cardiff Central Travelodge to the Principality Stadium in a matter of minutes.
Although, naturally, you should stop at the incredible Pie Box café on the way. It is well documented that arriving for a Test against Wales is hell on earth for a visiting team. The team bus gets slammed in Cardiff traffic as thousands of red-jersey-clad supporters line the streets, doing their best to get a rise from the ice-cold, non-plussed headphone wearers looking out the window.
I’ve had the pleasure of covering three matches at the Principality: the 2025 Six Nations finale between England and Wales, followed by the EPCR Challenge Cup and Investec Champions Cup Finals later that season. Bath claimed the secondary title before Bordeaux-Bègles began their two-year run as the defending kings of Europe.
The matchday experience brings the pyro and lights of an Ibiza nightclub rave and the smoke of an Amsterdam coffee shop. With an incredible display of strobe lights, it could be the middle of the day in the peak of summer and the closed roof creates a bowl of blocked-out sunlight that feels like the late, late kick-offs at a certain Parisian stadium we’ll get to shortly.
The smoke settles in the air after the final set of pyro explodes, creating a gothic setting for both sets of players to run out into. And then come the anthems. Whilst I prefer the Italian anthem overall, the fact that I can’t speak a lick of Welsh does not hinder the emotion when Land of My Fathers rings out. With red-painted faces, lilies and dragons populating every pocket of the crowd, the media seats genuinely feel like you are in the heart of the action.
And the media seats are arguably the best I’ve experienced. Nestled in the first tier, a stone’s throw from the pitch, the view brings the closest I’ve ever experienced to Test match grass. There is a direct corridor from the press seats down into the media workroom which, compared to the half-stadium-wide trek through the crowds at Twickenham, or the wait for the four-floor lift after beating the post-match rush in Dublin, makes for a very welcome quick trip back to the media centre.
The back bench of the seats is directly in front of rows of passionate supporters in what is affectionately known as the ‘splash zone’ — given the affinity of a spilled pint of Guinness to ruin a laptop charger. I’m set to return to Cardiff next month for the opening weekend of the Ultimate Sevens Championship, which will be hosted at the Principality’s little brother, Cardiff Arms Park – and I cannot wait to get back.
Have your say:
Tom has had his say, now it’s over to you. Which Six Nations stadium delivers the best matchday experience? Vote below and see if you agree with his ranking.
1. Stade de France
Stadium capacity: 80,698, Saint-Denis, Paris
Match covered: France v Ireland, Six Nations 2026
Taking the top spot in my personal ranking of the six Six Nations stadiums, the incredible Stade de France is the venue that stands above the parapet when it comes to matchday experience. Much like Murrayfield, I’ve only covered one match at the Stade de France, but what a match it was.
France against Ireland to kick-start the 2026 Six Nations. Even with the chaos of briefly losing my laptop at Beauvais Airport and the slightly ‘rough around the edges’ setting in the district of Saint-Denis, the French amphitheatre provided my favourite Six Nations match experience to date.
This could well be recency bias talking. But the pre-match light show took all the energy from the Principality and turned the intensity up to 11. I can’t speak French — no parle français — but even I understood exactly how much every try and every point meant to the fans of Les Bleus. Hearing La Marseillaise ring out around an 80,000-plus capacity crowd is simply incredible to witness, and an experience I urge every rugby fan to enjoy at least once.
French tricolours flew all around the ground, embodying the passion of supporters decked out in rouge, blanc et bleu. And then there was something I absolutely loved about the way the French crowd and stadium announcers borrowed from football. I know football chants in rugby are a divisive topic, sitting in a similar corner to Premiership Rugby’s trialled ‘away sections’ rather than having all supporters sit together.
But at the Stade de France, it genuinely worked. The stadium announcer would call out only the first name of a player before handing the microphone over to the capacity crowd to belt out the surname. “Penalty scored by Thomas…”
“RAMOS!”
“Thomas…”
“RAMOS!”
“Thomaaaaaaassss…”
“RAMOOOOOOOOOS!”
It felt like I was sitting at a Bundesliga or La Liga football match and reminded me that they really do rugby differently on the continent. The circumstances made it even better. This was the opening match of the 2026 Six Nations, played under the lights on a Thursday night against Ireland — the side that represented arguably the biggest threat to Fabien Galthié’s France. Safe to say plenty of French fans probably called in sick for their Friday shift across the City of Lights.
From a press perspective, the Stade de France was superb. The media centre literally opens directly onto the designated press seats. It is the best and most practical workroom-to-gantry collaboration I’ve experienced, while the divine coffee kept me going from the 9pm kick-off through to filing my post-match quotes piece at around 2am the following morning. With the stadium at times also used for France football matches, the modernised media facilities is apparent to reflect those deeper pockets in the land of les bleu.
The colossal stadium is also a marvellous sight from the outside. The vibrant glowing lights against the backdrop give the stadium a living feeling, which pulses in time with the pre-match music. And the music was cool, too. There weren’t any overplayed dance floor fillers from the 2000s, instead, authentic French rap pumped through the speakers, mixed with metal and rock anthems that earned my personal seal of approval. Hearing Metallica’s Enter Sandman ring through an 80,000-strong crowd and get chanted back from the stands gave me flashbacks to Download Festival. In fairness, it provided quite the festival atmosphere.
Once the dust had settled and it was finally time to get some sleep, I followed the advice of the other Irish journalists who had travelled to the Stade de France throughout the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Just get an Uber. By all accounts, Saint-Denis isn’t the safest neck of the woods, and unfortunately, I could have been a prime target in the middle of the night with my face buried in my phone and a laptop bag over my shoulder. So I followed the advice, but that didn’t hinder the experience.
The Stade de France is my favourite Six Nations stadium so far, combining the spectacle of an 80,000-capacity international rugby match with the energy of a European football fixture and the unmistakable flavour of France. Throw in a detour through the classic Parisian hotspots, some stunning coffee and a few croissants, and it becomes rather difficult for anything else to compete. For me, the Stade de France is the Six Nations’ best stadium.
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QUIZ: Can You Guess these English Rugby Stadium Names?
Welcome to the ultimate English rugby stadium quiz! England boasts a rich rugby heritage, with iconic stadiums spread across the country that have witnessed countless thrilling matches and unforgettable moments. From the roaring crowds at Twickenham to the historic grounds of local clubs, each stadium has its unique charm and history.
Whether you’re a die-hard rugby fan or just love testing your knowledge, this quiz is your chance to showcase how well you know the homes of English rugby.
In this challenge, we’ve compiled 20 rugby stadiums for you to identify. Some are legendary arenas that host international fixtures, while others are the cherished grounds of Premiership and Championship clubs.
