There are few greater sporting rivalries than England and Australia, especially when it comes to rugby!
Hostilities were renewed on Saturday as the Wallabies returned to Allianz Stadium, Twickenham for the first time since 2018, having not beaten England since their victory in the Rugby World Cup in 2015. As guests began to stream into The Green Room, there was a tangible excitement in the air with everyone knowing England would have to put in a good performance to beat a resurgent Australian outfit. Waiting in The Green Room were one or two chaps that know a thing or two about beating Australia, with 2003 Rugby World Cup winners Lawrence Dallaglio, Mike Tindall, Sir Clive Woodward, Ben Kay, and Will Greenwood all waiting to meet guests and take part in Q&A sessions. One brave Australian in the shape of former player and coach Michael Cheika also popped in to give his thoughts on this current crop of Wallabies and their chances against England. With guests suitably entertained and the laughter ringing out around The Green Room, attention turned to another star of the show…the food! With legendary Michelin starred chef Marcus Wareing as our chef patron for the day, you’ll be pushed to find a better hospitality meal in any stadium. TV star Ben Shepherd commented “the egg custard tart was simply delicious” and it was “extremely impressive serving such high-quality food for over 400 guests.” Rounding off our culinary experience was none other than Gregg Wallace who joined Marcus to chat with guests about the food and all things Masterchef of course! Known as a celebrity hangout, also spotted in The Green Room on Saturday were TV stars Phil Spencer and Nick Knowles, Rugby League legend Jamie Peacock, horse racing prodigy Jonjo O’Neill Jr. and young British actor Douglas Booth.
With all the pre-match hospitality completed, Green Room guests joined over 81,000 fans to watch the big game. England’s man of the match Freddie Steward finished off a brilliant piece of running rugby to score his first try for England and kickers Owen Farrell and James O’Connor then traded penalty kicks to leave the game finely balanced at 16-12 to England at halftime. England controlled the game in the 2nd half and with the Australian penalty count increasing, the combined kicking accuracy of Farrell and new boy Marcus Smith only widened the gap. When replacement hooker Jamie Blamire crossed the white line in the final minute of the game, England’s victory was sealed thus achieving an 8th successive victory against Australia.
The post-match atmosphere in The Green Room was buoyant and lively to say the least and we still had one special guest up our sleeves…recently retired former England captain Dylan Hartley joined us fresh from the Amazon commentary box to share his thoughts on the game and give unique insight into the mindset of Eddie Jones and England’s preparation for their final game of the Autumn Nations Series…a huge encounter with world champions South Africa on the 20th November.
As guests disappeared off into the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham night to continue the revelry after a thoroughly entertaining day, our preparations for the visit of the Springboks began immediately. After two fantastic weeks back at Twickenham, we can’t wait to welcome guests for the final game of the Autumn Nations Series as England take on South Africa.
