If you’re planning on visiting a rugby stadium sometime soon, it’s likely you’ll be spending a fair bit on tickets. Part of the ticket buying process will be choosing where to sit. So, where are the best seats?
On the halfway line, or somewhere between the halfway line and the two 10 meter lines, about 8 rows from the front. This is the best place to sit in a rugby stadium. From here you will get the best overall view of the match and should have a large portion of it played out opposite where you are sitting.
It’s worth spending a bit of time working through a few other specifics that need thinking about when it comes to the best place to sit in a stadium. I’m going to touch on these in a bit more detail below and give you my 5 best places to sit.
Wherever it is that you end up sitting on the day. Remember to take some warm clothes with you, as it can get very nippy sat on your behind in a rugby stadium!
Here’s an article I wrote on what to wear to watch a rugby game, which will give you all the tips you need to make sure you’re properly prepared for your day out watching the match!
The Best Seats In The Stadium. Here Are Some Things To Consider.
In the average stadium the ideal place to sit is somewhere around the halfway line and about 8 rows from the front But if you can’t get in the 8th row, how far forward should you go and how far back?
Ideally you don’t want to be any further forward than the 4th row and any further back than the 16th (it’s worth noting here, this is in the quest for finding the best places to sit). Sat somewhere between rows 4-16 you’ll get a good overall perspective of the game, and be close enough to the players to hear the sounds of the match in action.
I’ve also written an article about where you should sit in a rugby stadium, which isn’t so much about the best seats in the stadium, but it goes into more detail on the considerations you should take into account when choosing your seat.
Pay Attention To The Stadium Layout And Size.
It’s important to take into account which stadium you’re planning to go to, or at least what type (international or club), as they’ve all got different layouts and designs, and vary in capacity. Here’s a couple of examples:-
- The seating might have a ‘slow rise’ in which case you’ll probably want to sit a touch further back in order to get enough elevation for a good overall perspective of the match.
- The Stadium might be an oval rather than rectangular (more likely in international tournaments, when other sports specific stadiums might be used for rugby matches). If that’s the case you may be better off sitting on any 1 of the 4 corners, near to where the try lines and touch lines meet.
1. The Best Place To Sit In An International Rugby Stadium.
Check out the white highlighted areas in the image below for the best places to sit in this example. L M & U stand for Lower, Middle and Upper. The numbers are the blocks in the respective tiers / stands. For example L6 stands for lower tier, block 6.
2. The Best Place To Sit In A National or Club Rugby Stadium.
The white highlighted areas in the image below demonstrate the best places to sit in this example of a club stadium’s layout.
In this example of Sandy Park stadium, the area that I’ve marked in the West grandstand is right behind the players’ boxes, which from experience adds a whole other dimension to the atmosphere. You get to see the squad watching the game and can’t help but feed off their energy and involvement.
It’s worth noting that the East Terrace in the example above is standing only (it’s fairly common to have standing terraces at rugby club stadiums), hence why the first 2 rows of the Upper stand are highlighted here.
3. The Best Cheap Seats In A Rugby Stadium.
You’ll find that most stadiums will have price bands or categories based on the viewing quality from that seat. For example: Band A-D or Category 1-4. It’s a good tool to help you find where the cheaper seats are.
If you are wanting to find the best cheap seats (not the cheapest available, but they’ll usually be in the cheaper 2 categories or bands) aim for behind the try line, fairly high up. Depending on the stadium, you’ll probably find the lower and middle tiers are more expensive anyway.
From here you’ll get a good bird’s-eye view of the game. Also, from directly in front or behind where the game’s being played, you’ll actually get a better sight of where the space is on the pitch.
The downside of sitting here is that you don’t get a good view of the match when it’s being played at the other end of the pitch – you’ll have to rely on the big screens for that.
4. The Best Mid-Range Seats In A Rugby Stadium.
Depending on the way the individual stadium’s price structure works, the best mid-range seats to go for would be higher up or set further back in the stadium, but still aiming for somewhere between the halfway line and the two 10 meter lines.
5. The Best Expensive Seats In A Rugby Stadium.
Asides from the aforementioned seats situated on the halfway line between rows 4-10, the best expensive seats in a stadium have to be in a VIP suite or executive box.
If you want to know a bit more about corporate / executive boxes, then take a look at this post I’ve written which is all about hospitality boxes in stadiums.
Watching Rugby From An Executive Suite.
If you’re lucky enough to experience a match day from one of these, then you’ll likely get:-
- A pre-match 3-course meal
- Have some kind of Q&A with either team players or famous faces from the sport
- Have reserved seating outside the suite, meaning you can choose to watch the game either from inside the suite, or in the stands.
The Overall Winner For The Best Place To Sit.
Let’s face it, having the chance to experience a match from an executive box isn’t within the grasp of most of us. So for that reason it doesn’t finish in pole position for my best place to sit.
The best place to sit in a rugby stadium is in either of the stands that run along the side of the pitch. Ideally you’ll want to be in a seat somewhere between the two 10 meter lines.
Aim for close enough to the action to hear the impacts, but not so close that you can’t see the far sideline.
Sit too close, and you may feel like you’re sitting almost ‘underneath’ the players (they’re not exactly small), resulting in you having to look up in order to watch the game.