Leicester Tigers 40 Exeter Chiefs 22 (18th May 2024)
Leicester’s Welford Road was the first rugby ground I ever saw. I found myself walking past it while walking towards Filbert Street, way back in 1988, where I’d see Reading lose 0-1 in a dismal game in an era where, despite the rose-tinted nostalgia, Leicester City would ‘boast’ about being able to average over 10,000.
I have no idea what sort of crowds Leicester Tigers were drawing then, but probably lower than that, but while I wouldn’t have known it at the time, Welford Road was the most substantial rugby (union) ground in the country. It still is, counting the traditional rugby grounds, even if Bristol, sharing with Bristol City, now have a bigger home.
For people who like their grounds a bit ‘quirky’, Leicester’s home is a gem. In contrast to the plain bowl built just down the road for Leicester City, Welford Road has four stands of differing shapes and sizes, yet it all seems to tie together to give the place a unity, with nothing out of place.
The stand I’d walked past all those years ago has been replaced with a giant stand holding 10000 in a single tier. There are plenty of bigger stands in the country, but somehow this one seems huge. The end I was in was perhaps the most functional of the four, holding around 2500, with boxes at the back, but it has enough colour to stand out.
Opposite, built into a cheese-like wedge of land, is a stand holding a similar number, but with the seating rows tapering down to about 10, from double that number further along. The roof on the half also angles downward, as if pointing to the corner flag.
The remaining stand dates back just over 100 years, with 4000 seats and a paddock in front, and such is the careful way the ground has been developed, it sits alongside its modern neighbours without either looking out of place. I would imagine in time this stand will also be replaced by a more modern version, with increased revenue generating potential, but that will be sad as this is one of the finest examples of a traditional stand left in the country. It deserves to be preserved, before there comes a time when all we have of these kinds of stands is old photographs.
To cap off the day, it was gloriously sunny, and the home side stormed to a thoroughly convincing win. Exeter started well, getting an early try, but were barely in it after that. A dominant Leicester side played a flamboyant attacking style of rugby that deserves, on this showing, to have earned a much higher league position than the 8th place they ended up in. If they can cut out a few of the handling errors that maybe stopped them winning by a greater margin, they could be back up at the other end of the table next season.
The fans were certainly appreciative of this rout, and the game concluded with an invitation for the fans to go onto the pitch after a small delay. As someone who’ll never turn down such a chance, I had to go on, although it was the first time I’ve been on a rugby pitch since miserable Monday morning PE lessons, and consequently the first time I’d gone on one willingly. I have to say that not only was the pitch rather better than the ice-laden ploughed fields that passed for rugby pitches at my school, it was perhaps the lushest surface I’ve been on at any professional ground. Having a few thousand people wandering on his pitch might give the groundsman nightmares, but he clearly has the skills to deal with it.
With its location, just a 10 minute walk from the city centre, I’d be tempted to say that Welford Road is one of the best sporting venues in the country – looks great, well-located, big enough to really feel games are an event, and full most weeks with enthusiastic supporters. If it’s not anyone’s ‘bucket list’ of grounds to go to, it certainly should be.
Stadiums and Cities 