THE RUGBY ITINERARY

欖球爭勝地

The world’s best stadiums for the rugby-obsessed. By sports writer MARTIN JOHNSON

欖球之旅

體育專欄作家Martin Johnson為欖球迷介紹全球最佳的欖球場

Six nations, six unforgettable rugby venues chosen especially for HK Sevens month. By MARTIN JOHNSON, a sports journalist not related to the World Cupwinning former captain of England

香港國際七人欖球賽於本月舉行，體育記者

Martin Johnson（並非曾贏得世界盃的英國隊前隊長）精選六個位於不同國家但同樣教人印象深刻的球場

THEY SAY YOU have to experience the not-so-good times to fully appreciate the special ones – in which case I consider myself well qualified to pass judgement on the best places in the world to watch a game of rugby.

The first game I ever went to was Tredegar vs Ebbw Vale, a local derby deep in the Welsh Valleys on a chilled Tuesday night thick with mist and drizzle, under floodlights that provided much the same illumination as you’d get from a box of birthday cake candles. Nothing was visible beyond a few metres, so when the spectators (both of them) huddled together at half time under the dilapidated main stand, informed analysis of the previous 40 minutes was limited to: ‘Er, anyone know the score?’

It would not be entirely accurate to say that the Recreation Ground only narrowly lost out to Cape Town’s Newlands in my top six rugby venues. Here they are.

常言道，只有識強見 過 差人意的事物，懂才會 得欣賞出類拔萃的東西。由此而論，我認為自己也頗有資格點評全球各地觀賞欖球賽的最佳場地。

我次第一 現場觀賞欖球賽，是在偏遠的威爾斯山谷內的Recreation Gound球場，由Tredegar對Ebbw Vale的本地打吡賽。那是個寒冷星的 期二晚，上 濃霧夾著細雨，泛光燈有如微弱的燭光一般，數米之外的東西完全看。不見半場小休時，兩支隊伍的擁躉全都瑟縮於殘破不堪的主看台下面，大家討論上半場40分鐘的比賽情況時，僅就 限於互相：詢問有「 人知道比數嗎？」。

以下是我心目中的六大最佳欖球場地，而Recreation Ground球場與這些具有國際水準的一流球場相，比 當然是難望項背了。