The visit of New Zealand to Twickenham is always special regardless of changes to stadium names or rules
For those who, for some strange reason, only watch international rugby much has changed since England last took the field in mid-July. Technically speaking, for starters, the home team no longer play at a ground called Twickenham and will instead run out at somewhere called Allianz Stadium. The era of the “Ally Pally” has arrived, which may or may not impress the old-school clientele in the posher parts of the West Car Park.
If there is a sense of the Rugby Football Union selling off the family silver and jettisoning a significant slice of the English game’s global identity it is reinforced by the fact the All Blacks are due to visit a second Allianz Stadium in three weeks’ time when they play Italy in Turin. The only consolation for staunch traditionalists is that fresh monikers can take decades to catch on; some people still refer to the “Manchester Guardian” a mere 65 years on.
Written by Robert Kitson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/nov/01/steve-borthwick-england-all-blacks-rugby-union under the title “Borthwick’s England face All Blacks test in fixture that still stirs the soul | Robert Kitson”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
