Last Saturday, we were so lucky to get invited to watch the Wasps versus Toulouse game in the Heineken Champions Cup in Coventry. This was an important game for Wasps Rugby Football Club, especially as they hadn’t won in any of the Heineken Champions Cup games so far in this tournament and they were up against a strong French team in Toulouse who had won their games.
Wasps Rugby Football Club was originally London-based but relocated to Coventry in December 2014. This English professional rugby union team play in Premiership Rugby, England’s top division of rugby. Ricoh Arena was very easy to find and located not far from the Arena Park shopping centre. We did book our car park space through the official car parking and it took us about 8 minutes to walk to the stadium. You won’t be allowed to park at the shopping centre car park when it is a game night unless you have spent over a certain amount. It is also very close to a residential area but there may also be parking restrictions during game nights too.
It was our first time visiting the stadium and it was huge. We had no clue where we were and ended up walking around in circles trying to find the Clubhouse. By the time we did find it, it was already packed full of supporters. There are bars, hot food and seating. As we found somewhere to perch in the crowded clubhouse, we accidentally found ourselves in just the right spot for the special guest interview that took place. They were for the former Welsh rugby union player Rob Howley and current scrum-half Dan Robson. It is not every day you get to meet an international legend so when you get a chance, why not grab their signatures and take a couple of photos with them!
Anyway, we then made our way to the stadium which we took at least 15 minutes walking around finding the entrance! There were so many gates and we were totally lost! Luckily, we did manage to find our seats just before the game started!
The atmosphere was great and everyone was in jolly mood cheering for Wasps. Wasps made a great start to the game, but unfortunately, they were let down by the defence and lost the game 16 to 24. We all had a great time watching, even though it was very cold. Our children were so excited throughout and by watching the game live, it has definitely spurred their interest in rugby!
Thanks to Wasps for giving us a great ultimate night out! Good luck to their away game this week in France!
Disclosure: We received free family tickets for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own. Image used with permission.