Last Saturday, I really got to tick something very special off of my bucket list. If you're British, I doubt you've missed the fact that the Rugby World Cup has been held in England this year, what with it being all over the TV (including those beautiful animated adverts which don't make me cry at all...). I was lucky enough to be whisked away to Twickenham Stadium for the opportunity to watch the England V. Wales game, including a pass to the VIP lounge!
Words could not describe how excited I was. I've never been to a rugby game, not even a local one so I wasn't really sure what to expect. But as soon as we arrived we found ourselves gathered amongst a sea of fans, all dressed in either red or white shirts, ready to cheer on their favourite team.
Twickenham Stadium towered over us in the afternoon sun; it really was a truly spectacular sight.
Luckily, I managed to snag a space that wasn't so people cluttered, just to take a few outfit photos. Yep, even at a rugby game I can't stop my fashion blogger nature from creeping out.
I wore my newest addition to my Autumn/Winter wardrobe; this gorgeous knitted Michelle Keegan number from Lipsy. It's super warm and so classy and I know I'll absolutely wear it to death. I paired it with my new over the knee boots from New Look, which as much as I love and are super comfortable, do not stay up at all! It's such a massive disappointment as I've wanted a pair of over the knee boots for ages and these are more like...well, boots.
Dress - Lipsy || Boots - New Look || Bag - Michael Kors || Hat - Miss Selfridge (similar here)
Luckily, our shiny passes allowed us to escape the madding crowds and head on over to the Beaumont lounge. As we entered, we passed various signed rugby shirts in their frames.
We quickly took our seats at our table, ready for the four course meal.
Prepare yourselves for a lot of purple toned pictures! The lighting in here wasn't the best.
A line of waiters quickly bought our starters up; Coln Valley smoked salmon with avocado puree, fennel and celeriac salad, rye bread and lemon oil. It was absolutely delicious, with gorgeous fresh flavours.
Midway through our meal, I suddenly heard a familiar voice. Our table was right next to the speakers' stage, where they were to give a talk during the meal. I turned around to find myself staring at Gethin Jones! Before I had a chance to register that it was, in fact, Gethin Jones, however, I heard my mum shriek "OH MY GOD IT'S GETHIN JONES".
He was to present the talk with two rugby legends; Neil Back MBE and this Australian guy who I can't for the life of me remember the name of as I write this post. If you're a huge rugby fan and you know his name let me know in the comments and I'll update this bit.
Of course, before Gethin vanished off to support Wales (-_-) I managed to snag a sneaky pic with him. He told me I was the most glamorous girl in Twickenham which pretty much made my night if I'm honest.
Soon after our main course arrived; rump of lamb with roast onion soubise puree, lemon gremolata, buttered fondant potato, smoked beetroot and blackberry jus. It was also incredibly delicious and super filling!
Of course I was waiting for dessert (when am I not?). Soon our chilled chocolate fondants with praline, salted caramel and roasted hazelnuts arrived. Rich, creamy and gorgeous.
After dinner, it was of course, time for the match to begin. We entered the stadium which was roaring with the chants of the fellow 81,000 fans and took our seats to a fantastic view.
Looking around, it was hard to believe that there were seriously that many people surrounding us. Everyone just looked like dots but the atmosphere was incredible. It was like being elevated into an incredible place full of joy, encouragement and anticipation.
The thundering music soon began; the game was about to start.
Onto the pitch came the England and Wales teams, dressed in white and red, respectively.
Before lining up, ready to sing the National Anthems.
We all stood and thundered out a glorious rendition of God Save The Queen. It really did make you proud to be British!
Then kick off began. I'm sure if you've made it this far, you probably know a bit about what happened during that game. If not, I'll summarise it as follows; a lot of penalties, a lot of stupidity and a loss for England 28 - 25. Nonetheless I managed to get some shots of Owen Farrell making some excellent kicks!
Despite the disappointing score, it truly was one of the best things I've ever experienced. I honestly think that the people really made it special, with everyone being incredibly supportive of each other and the other teams. The respect that the fans had was incredible, even with Wales winning, England fans were shaking hands with them and congratulating them. It was wonderful to see that in a competitive sport.
We headed back to the lounge for a post-match discussion and were greeted by trays of mini pies, carrot cakes and chicken satay.
Then, thoroughly exhausted, we headed home, completely overwhelmed and exhilarated by the experience of cheering alongside 81,000 people for a fantastic team.
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