This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure about affiliate links here.
In 2015, I travelled to Cardiff to see Ireland’s opening game in the Rugby World Cup against Canada. This post is an account of that rugby-themed day trip to Cardiff.
WHY A DAY TRIP TO CARDIFF?
With the sixty-minute direct flight to Cardiff costing a week’s wage I travelled via London for 20% of the price where I joined my seasoned rugby supporter sister on a chartered bus.
For logistical reasons, it was to be a day trip to Cardiff rather than a weekend. Direct trains for Cardiff depart Paddington Station in London.
However, if you want to stay in Cardiff, check out booking.com for a great selection. On rugby weekends, accommodation sells out quickly so book well ahead.
ARRIVING IN CARDIFF
Crossing the Severn Bridge served as the readiness point as most of the bus woke from their pre-match slumber – a vital two hours sleep to compensate for post-match lost hours. The bus dropped us near Alexandra Gardens and we headed up North Road until we saw this amusing art installation on the wall of Cardiff Castle.
By now the streets were awash with green shirts and the odd speck of Canadian red. Rugby is as much about the pre-match and post-match conviviality and merriment as it is for on-field play, and having a stadium in the city centre is perfect for creating such an atmosphere.
A big thanks goes to Cardiff city planners for allowing the home of Welsh Rugby to remain in the heart of the city. And the result is the beautiful Millennium Stadium, since renamed the Principality Stadium for sponsorship reasons.
MATCH REPORT
Roy Keane criticised Irish soccer fans at Euro 2012 for their sing-song approach to supporting the national team. Thankfully Roy didn’t choose rugby as the sing-song is part of the game’s culture and in no other country is the art form of choir singing strongly associated with the game than in Wales.
Unsurprisingly, a local choir sang the pre-match official anthems, with the crowd continuing in fine voice throughout the match. As standard, the Irish supporters sang The Fields of Athenry. A local group in fancy dress belted out Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart with another group provoking outrage by singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot, England’s rugby anthem.
Those with an interest in the Irish rugby scene will know that our pre-match anthem has been a source of controversy down through the years with Amhrán na bhFiann, the Irish national anthem, being ditched in the first rugby world cup in 1987 in favour of a compromise song to represent the team amalgamated from two jurisdictions: Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the latter which is part of the UK. That compromise song was the nineteenth-century ballad The Rose of Tralee.
In Cardiff, Ireland got the result they desired (50). Canada got the result they kinda’ expected (7) but this didn’t stop them from enjoying their trip to the Welsh capital. Post-match, both sets of fans socialised together.
APRES MATCH
We stumbled upon the lively and friendly Owain Glyndwr pub on St. John’s Street where we witnessed the biggest upset in rugby world cup history – Japan’s defeat of the mighty South African Springboks. The predominantly Irish crowd cheered on rugby’s minnows with the pub erupting into unbridled cheers at the final whistle.
While looking for a restaurant our Kerry flags raised some eyebrows and attracted some teasing from fellow Irish supporters – South Dubliners, we deduced, from the upturned collars. “We support Japan but fight amongst ourselves” joked one of our group. A decision was made to find a Japanese restaurant but rested on an Indian choice when we saw the lengthy queue outside Wagamama!
The Rugby World Cup has become the globe’s third-largest sporting event, and the sport continues to gain new audiences across the social spectrum. Why? Because it’s a great game that promotes international camaraderie as part of its culture – the world in union, just like the tournament’s anthem. And a day trip to Cardiff is one of the many great places to watch a game and belt out a song.
For further UK travel information, check out my UK Travel Planning guide.
Arrivals Hall 