The visit of the Irish to Allianz Stadium, Twickenham brings with it an emerald wave that descends upon South West London and with St.Patrick’s Day just around the corner, was the luck to be on their side as they took on Eddie Jones’ England in this pivotal 6 Nations match up?
The Green Room looked resplendent as always and first through the door ready for his first Green Room experience was Ireland & Lions legend Brian O’Driscoll. The former Leinster and Ireland skipper was in confident mood ahead of the big game and his optimism was soon shared by two more Irish legends…none other than Jamie Heaslip and Rob Henderson joined Brian in their opinion that the Irish set-piece and back-line cohesion would be too much for England – safe to say Lawrence Dallaglio, Mike Tindall and Austin Healey had other ideas!
With guests now mingling, bottles of Bollinger popping and Michelin star maestro Ollie Dabbous cooking up another storm in the kitchen – the stage was well and truly set for one of the most anticipated games of the tournament. Star guests such as Ronan Keating, Andrew Ridgeley, Spencer Matthews, Jamie Laing and Zara Tindall revelled in the renowned Green Room atmosphere and it’s safe to say there was plenty good-natured banter between our English and Irish contingent.
As kick-off rapidly approached, a tangible excitement swelled throughout the Green Room and guests flooded out eagerly for the big game. England’s hopes however were dashed almost immediately after the game began. With less than 90 seconds on the clock England’s Charlie Ewels was shown a red card for a high tackle on James Ryan and thereafter it was all hands to the pump for England. Despite being a man down Courtney Lawes and co battled for 78 minutes with the boot of Marcus Smith and some incredible scrummaging (which included winger Jack Nowell as a makeshift flanker) keeping England in the game. The man advantage combined with sustained Irish pressure both in defence and attack paid in the end, with the men in green accelerating in the last minutes and taking the spoils with a 32-15 victory.
Post-match analysis was a brilliant exchange of teasing and tomfoolery between our panellists and it’s safe to say that no matter whether you were an English or an Irish supporter, the Green Room once again delivered the ultimate matchday experience at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. We will once again be back at the Home of England Rugby for the Autumn Internationals as England take on Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa in four must-see matches.
Learn more about our Allianz Stadium, Twickenham hospitality packages and other fantastic events on our website!
