The hospitality experience at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham promises much. But does it live up to expectations?
I have been going to matches at the Allianz Stadium, which you might know as Twickenham, longer than I have known the laws of the game of rugby or how to play it. That is one of the many fascinating things about the sport: its physicality overshadows its complexity. The human mind enjoys watching one large man run into another large man, and has enjoyed watching that for a very long time.
I was very lucky that my father enjoyed his rugby, both as a player and as a fan, and was always keen to take me. The stadium at Twickenham, formerly known as Twickenham stadium, has always been a cauldron of excess, a shrine to power. It was only later in my life that I realised that power also extends beyond the game itself, to who can produce the best picnic in the Cardinal Vaughan car park, or who can drink the most pints of beer and still stand up.
The day is about more than just the game. It’s catching up with old friends, eating lots of food, and there’s some rugby sprinkled in the middle to focus the mind. I like to think that I have perfected the art of ‘going to the rugby at Twickenham’, which made an invitation to experience hospitality in The East Wing particularly intriguing. Would they capture the essence of what it means to ‘go to the rugby’? Or would it all be too refined, too structured, too precise?
The East Wing. Credit: Bircan Tulga
Any worries rapidly evaporated when my friend Ben and I stepped out of the lift and entered the East Wing. Ahead of us was, quite literally, a wall of beers, pre-poured and demanding adoption. We were all too happy to give them a home. We were greeted by a fleet of helpful staff, who were quick to show us to our lunch table and reassure us that, as well as beer, we could indulge ourselves in Bollinger and Whispering Angel to our hearts’ content.
Ex-professionals mingled. The World Cup gleamed. It was 2:30pm and the game didn’t start until 5:40. Could we keep ourselves together until kick off?
Chef Tommy Banks preparing the pre-game fare.
Rugby is a game of endurance as well as exertion. So too is your usual Twickenham experience. But there is very little that is usual about the East Wing. Especially when it comes to chef Tommy Banks’s culinary experience. A five-course meal was soon presented to us. Cauliflower, bacon and chicory jam, Old Winchester. Chicken liver parfait with hedgerow jelly and brioche. A salt-aged beef fillet that melted in your mouth. Chocolate. Cheeses. Heaven. Our server asked us if we would like to see the wine list. We were content. Perhaps, then, a visit from World Cup winning rugby captain John Smit? A polite offer, but the wounds of 2007 are still too raw.
And then, out of nowhere, it was time for the game. England played well and then they played poorly, masters of their own downfall. Mistakes against the world champions are punished. From our seats, the flaws of a team in transition were all too easy to see. Being able to retire back into the East Wing at halftime and have a beer waiting for you, sans queue, might be worth the price of admission alone. And then it was over, but not without a parting shot of some pies and cake to soak up some of our transgressions. ‘You can stay for another 90 minutes if you like?’, we were politely told, but our race was run, it was time to go home.
All too often a day at the rugby is all too easy to forget. A maelstrom of Guinness and laughter and excess, both in physical and liquid form. How impressive it is to remember it all. A testament to the exceptional culinary work of Mr Banks and the staff of the East Wing. Memories of a match, especially an England match, will come and go. A day of feeling like the most important person in the entire stadium will last a lot longer.
James Fisher is the deputy digital editor of countrylife.co.uk. He was a guest of Twickenham Experience Ltd.
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