Which ground has the best atmosphere? Amazing architecture? The perfect view? RUCK runs down the three best and three worst rugby stadiums in the UK.
BEST STADIUMS:
1. Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Simply the best rugby stadium in the world. There is not an atmosphere to match it when the retractable roof is closed and the Welsh national anthem is being belted out. Try watching England or Ireland there in the 2019 Six Nations if you can.
2. Kingsholm, Gloucester
If you have never experienced the Shed, you have never experienced rugby. This terrace, with a low roof, that runs the length of the pitch is where Gloucester’s most passionate and vocal supporters congregate, and whether it is chanting “Glaaaws-ter” as the team take their proprietorial pre-match jog around the pitch or “You don’t know what you’re doing” at another refereeing decision with which they disagree, it is a place where the soul of rugby belongs.
3. The Greenyards, Melrose
There is no more picturesque rugby ground in Britain than this, the home of Melrose RFC. Set in the heart of the little Borders town, it has the Eildon Hills as its stunning backdrop, but even without them it would be an achingly pretty place.
