What a match England Rugby had last weekend against Wales at the Principality Stadium!

The Green Room followed the England Squad to Cardiff in support of their most awaited game of the series, with both rugby squads currently being unbeaten in the championship.

VIP guests were welcomed down the red-carpet with a glass of champagne into a drink’s reception, where plenty of Guinness and Lager was being served. Our VIP guests were then served a delicious four-course menu which included the following…

 

PRE-MATCH MENU

STARTER

Ham Hock & Parsley Terrine, Grilled Ciabatta, Piccalilli (D)

VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE

Plum Tomato & Mozzarella Salad, Basil Oil (G/V)

MAIN

Slow Braised Brisket of Beef, Horseradish Mash Potatoes, Seasonal

Vegetables, Bourguignon Jus

VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE

Wild Mushroom & Goat’s Cheese Wellington, Mash Potatoes, Seasonal

Vegetables, Chive Cream (V)

DESSERT

Chocolate & Salted Caramel Tart, Pear Coulis, Vanilla Mascarpone

CHEESE

Selection of Cheese, Cracker s & Chutney

Our fabulous Green Room host Mark Durden-Smith took to the stage where he announced the rugby legends who would be later joining him in the spotlight. But before the rugby legend panel got started, Mark searched the room for Friends of The Green Room who were there with us for this unmissable event.

The Green Room is renowned for attracting lots of celebrities throughout the day and the guests last weekend included Welsh Olympic sprinter Iwan Thomas, Welsh actor Julian Lewis Jones (although we’re not too sure what he said – it was all in Welsh!) and British racing legend Johnny Herbert. Mark even asked Herbert’s opinion on Hamilton, but the answer is exclusive to our Green Room guests! The Green Room also welcomed back some royal rugby fans, Peter and Autumn Phillips along with Tindall’s wife Zara.

 

David Flatman, Tom Shanklin and Austin Healey began the first half of rugby entertainment reminiscing old stories from when they were playing against the opposing teams. As Shanklin rightly pointed out 1949, 1959, 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999 and 2009 have all been won by Wales but will they be so lucky to keep it going for another year? After ganging up on Healey for his full head of hair (after all he is the only panelist that isn’t bald!), Tindall and the rest of the panel all discussed what to expect from the game and what to look out for before guests made their way to the stadium.

Although it was a slow start for both teams, it was also the most intense game of the series when it got going. Once the first points had been scored, both teams were on each other’s tails trying to equalise the scores. It was a great start for England who went into the first half with a 10 – 3 advantage on their Welsh competition but an even better second half for Wales. After their poor start, Wales managed to turn the results around taking the lead which secured them their third victory of the 2019 Guinness Six Nations. Wales will be trying to continue their winning streak as they are the last remaining squad to have the chance of winning the Grand Slam, who actually won the very first one back in 1908.

Although the match had ended, The Green Room was continuing! Guests made their way back to the Mercure for the second half of their VIP hospitality experience, where they enjoyed all-inclusive drinks and post-match food.

There were plenty more laughs on the panel as the rugby legends invited former Welsh player Shane Williams into the spotlight. They all pulled the game apart, talking about where England had gone wrong and how Wales managed to turn the game around. Mentioning how Wales had an exhausting second half but produced incredible results, it was said that Wales had stuck to their plans throughout. The post-match panel had the audience laughing, with the light banter between all the rugby legends and our celebs. Following this, Mark stepped out to the audience to scope out more questions from the guests.

After a fantastic afternoon, guests stayed for our Green Room finale which included live music from a North West trio, Tailor & Co. The atmosphere was great and the band got the guests, including the celeb table, up and dancing to some iconic covers including The Killers and Stevie Wonder.

You can join our rugby ambassadors Mike Tindall and Lawrence Dallaglio in The Green Room as the England squad welcome Wales for Warm-up fixtures in the Autumn as England prepare for the Rugby World Cup!