What you need to enjoy the Rugby World Cup

WITH the World Cup just two short days away, Total Bath runs down what fans need in order to be prepared for six weeks of rugby heaven.

Here are a handful of things you’ll almost certainly need to enjoy the greatest event in the sport’s calendar.

Singing voice

Whether it’s ‘Sweet Chariot’, ‘Waltzing Matilda’, ‘Flower of Scotland’ or ‘Le Marseillaise’, there’s bound to be a few exhausted larynxes by the time November comes around. Keep a handy packet of lozenges in your survival kit to make sure your nation’s anthems are the loudest this autumn.

If you’ve forgotten the words to Tonga’s ‘Sipi Tau’ or the Irish classic ‘Molly Malone’, click here for a quick refresher.

Stock the fridge

Well, it’s fairly obvious. What would a rugby match be without a golden ale?

Tournament headline sponsors Heineken might not take favourably to this, but we’re pushing you the way of ‘Rugbeer’ – the invention of Wiltshire brewers Arkell’s. It’s a 4.2% smooth amber beer with a kick as precise as Johnny Wilkinson. Slurp.

Free up the diary

You pull on your replica shirt, start making mental notes of which pub to visit, read up on the opposition, make for the door and then… Outlook reminds you of a three-hour conference call with marketing.

Don’t get caught in the trap. Check the times and dates of upcoming matches, stick on auto-reply and put your feet up.

Full listings here.

Know your facts

We all know how embarrassing it can be to be stuck in a conversation without having a clue what’s being spoken about. With teams from as far and wide as Namibia, Samoa, Romania and Uruguay taking part in the World Cup, a little research could go a long way to impressing your mates in the pub.

The Total Bath team-by-team guide can be found here, while the tournament’s official website is packed full of news, reviews, features, facts and good, old-fashioned fun.

A Twitter account

Yeah, we know you’re not all as keen as we are about social media but, believe us, Twitter will add a different dimension to the Rugby World Cup. Latch onto the hashtags #RWC and #RWC2015 and find a world of information at your fingertips.

Impulse buys

If you’ve not got tickets to a game and fancy sampling the atmosphere of a World Cup in this country, there’s still time.

Returned tickets are arriving on the competition’s eticketing portal on a regular basis – we should know, having snapped up Millenium Stadium seats for Wales vs Uruguay just two nights ago – and there are still attractive matches available for reasonable prices.

Our pick is Australia vs Fiji in Cardiff on Wednesday, September 23, where plenty of £50 tickets are waiting to be snapped up. You’ll need to take two minutes to set up an account but go on, give it a go. Home World Cups are once-in-a-generation events.

Party people

If you’re building up to a World Cup final spectacular on Halloween, you’ll need to invest in plenty of frilly extras.

We reckon this site has everything you’ll need – bunting, balloons, flags, over-sized rugby balls – with the possible exception of a giant cardboard cut-out of Martin Johnson. Party on, people.

Show your colours

A global event like the World Cup guarantees sways of national colours in cities across the country. If you’ve got a spare day’s wages, get online and kit yourself out in a replica shirt.

Remember, though, England aren’t playing in white on the opening night. Yep, you heard right. The ‘home’ side are actually the ‘away’ team on the night, after a coin flip.

Anyway, click here for replica kits.

Going out to watch

If you fancy the odd break from ITV over the course of the next six weeks, it’s not going to be hard to find a TV in a pub or bar showing the game. If you happen to be in one of a dozen towns and cities around the country, however, there’s another option.

World Cup ‘Fanzones’ will be springing up from Gloucester to Leicester and Newcastle to Newham. Some entry is only permitted with a matchday ticket, so check the smallprint, but the majority are open to the public and are set to lay on food, drink, activities, inevitable souvenir shopping and a sprinkling of special occasion (all at a price, obviously).

Click here for details.