Remarkable Rugby Grounds: An illustrated guide book, with photography of the world’s most splendid sports stadiums

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Two visits here for this writer and two outstanding occasions witnessed – namely the first Test between Australia and the Lions in 2001 and the England v Wales World Cup quarter-final two years later. When the locals get behind their side, it can feel as if the whole of Northern Ireland is involved in the process, such is the full-throated power of the Ravenhill Roar. At the other end of the stadium spectrum, the most visually striking venues for the World Cup celebrate bold design. Donegal Town RFC’s home since 1980 is in a truly idyllic spot, next to Holmes Beach on a quiet peninsula overlooking Donegal Bay. It’s not just the picturesque setting that makes this club remarkable; formed in a corner of Ireland dominated by Gaelic football, it grew from basic beginnings to represent something more substantial.

The world’s most southerly Test rugby venue was built for the 2011 World Cup and replaced Carisbrook – aka The House of Pain. The giant glass roof is more than just a design feature; it means a constant temperature can be maintained to allow the grass to grow while keeping out the elements – in Dunedin, it rains 167 days a year. Along with Webb Ellis’s innovation, the invention of the oval-shaped ball took the game forward. Richard Lindon was a boot and ball maker with premises close to Rugby School. The Rugby boys wanted an oval ball to distinguish their game from the bounders playing association football, so Lindon devised an egg-shaped bladder with four stitched panels that would evolve into the modern rugby ball. Situated on the banks of the Severn, Bridgnorth RFC’s home is at constant risk of flooding – in fact, the pitch has been submerged five times within a two-year period. The club are currently fundraising to build a new “flood-proof” clubhouse on stilts. It is a sign of things to come for other sporting grounds built on marginal land as the climate crisis continues to deepen around the world. Launched as rugby hits fever pitch for the 2023 World Cup, Remarkable Rugby Grounds is the perfect title for a literate and affluent armchair rugby market.Lest you think the big international stadia dominate the book, there are plenty of grounds of smaller dimensions. Among them are three with huge historic significance: Edinburgh’s Raeburn Place, scene of the first-ever Test match in 1871; Rugby School, where 200 years ago William Webb Ellis ran with the ball; and The Greenyards in Melrose, venue for the oldest rugby tournament after sevens was born there in 1883. For some it will be a giant, cacophonous international stadium where only the elite get to do battle in front of entire nations. For others, there's no place like a traditional old club rugby ground where the intimacy and unique atmosphere on the terraces are what make the game what it is. Major refurbishment at the ground involved the construction of three new stands and was completed in 2014. 14. Aviva Stadium, Dublin In late 2022, Laporte also maintained a recent tradition of corruption among senior French sports officials when he was given a two-year suspended sentence for “illegal taking of interest, influence peddling, passive corruption and embezzlement”. Quite a rap sheet.

On the field it’s an atmosphere like no other - hostile and very passionate. No coincidence that the Springboks play better there than at any ground in the country. They’re different beasts when they run on to Ellis Park. Something in them stirs." Er is echter één groot nadeel aan dit boek. Als je de bijna 200 bladzijden op 29 x 25 cm formaat in hardcover uithebt, is je ‘to do’ lijst waarschijnlijk aangevuld met 50 nieuwe locaties.Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together. One of British rugby’s greatest club grounds, it has a capacity of just over 16,000 and is located a mile or so from the city centre. Munster players celebrate during the final seconds of the European Rugby Champions Cup quarter-final against Toulon (Image: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in. It has easy rail access to the ground and there is even a footbridge from the railway station to the stadium. When Wales played Namibia there at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, travelling supporters were awed by the views of the snow-capped Mount Taranaki. The ground was redesigned in 2010 by the architect Rudy Ricciotti, who was tasked with making the Jean-Bouin stand out next to its more imposing neighbour. Taking inspiration from his Mucem museum design in Marseille, Riciotti proposed an undulating roof and an outer web structure consisting of 3,543 fibre concrete panels.

The Tump, Clydach Vale, Wales

For passion with a serious edge, the fully enclosed stadium with a capacity of 16,593 takes some beating. The location may not be to everyone’s liking, in one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the world, but the ground is iconic.