Edinburgh preparing for boom weekend as rugby fans flock to Calcutta Cup clash
Bars stockpile supplies ahead of influx of fans
A determined looking Stuart Hogg, the Scotland full back, takes part in final training with scrum-half Ali Price before today’s Six Nations match at Murrayfield. Kick-off is 4:45pm.
Traders in Edinburgh are predicting a boom weekend for the capital’s hospitality industry as thousands of rugby fans descend on the city for today’s Six Nations clash between Scotland and England.
Experts predicted revenues from the event may fall in comparison with previous years, but pubs have responded to the sellout crowd by tripling their alcohol orders, while hotels in the city centre have hiked prices.
In 2014 – the last time England and France were hosted at Murrayfield in the same campaign – the tournament was thought to be worth up to £52 million to the Scottish economies.
However, the Edinburgh Hotels Association (EHA) has predicted the 2018 version could see its value drop by as much as £7m in January.
But with around 67,000 fans set to take in the action at the national stadium today, local businesses are preparing to cash in.
Eric Drought, manager of The Three Sisters in the Cowgate, said their beer hall had been fully booked out weeks in advance of the fixture, and said the bar should hit its maximum 990 capacity at around 1pm tomorrow – more than three hours before kick-off.
He added: “We’ve had 600 kegs of cider and ale delivered this week, those are usually the two favourites among the English fans and we expect them to be drunk dry.
“We’re preparing for this to be our biggest one-day event of the calendar year, and with the Ireland vs Wales match on just before it, it should be a really good atmosphere between all the supporters.”
At the Roseburn Bar – just ten minutes walk from the BT Murrayfield stadium – manager Craig Ford said they were preparing to be packed throughout the day.
He added: “The cellar is full at the moment, we’re talking two dozen extra kegs of Tennents, a dozen extra kegs of Guinness – we are expecting to be full all day.”
“This is different from when Hearts played at Tynecastle a few months ago. It tends to be a much more international crowd and it will be an all-day event, people come out and make a day of it.”
In January, the Principal hotel chain was charging rugby fans between £642 and £707 for a room in its respective hotels on George Street and Charlotte Square on Saturday night.
Russ el li mrie, spokesman for the Edinburgh Hotels Association, said the match would be a big pull for travelling fans, adding it could be one of the biggest weekends for hotels across the city.
He said: “The attraction with a fixture of this size in Edinburgh is that a lot of domestic rugby fans coming up from England don’t have to fly. It’s not like going to France or Italy, so obviously that cuts down on a bit of expenditure, meaning they have more to spend on enjoying themselves while they are here.”
He added: “It is difficult to compare this weekend with Edinburgh’s two principal tourism periods, in August during the Edinburgh festivals and over the three or four days of Hogmanay, but as a one-off weekend, it will certainly be up there with the busiest times.”
Gavin Barrie, city council housing and economy convener, said: “The Six Nations brings a tremendous economic boost to the city at a time outwith the busy winter and summer festival months. There’s always a great buzz on match days.”
Scotland were battered by Wales and only narrowly defeated a mediocre French side, so they are understandably the underdogs for today’s Calcutta Cup clash with England.
Eddie Jones’s side, on the other hand, is riding high, having won 24 out of his 25 games in charge as the Australian has built them into a world-beating rugby force.
But underdogs can and do win. And Scotland have always been a different proposition when playing at Murrayfield.
If Gregor Townsend’s men can recapture some of the attacking flair they displayed against New Zealand and Australia during the autumn tests, they will have a real chance of springing a surprise. So they should go into the game with genuine selfbelief. They should also make sure they have some fire in their bellies. Ireland, the only team to beat England in the last 25 games, did so partly with a physicality that rattled their opponents.
That won’t be easy – the English are a tough, ruthless and efficient team – but if the Murrayfield crowd helps them rise to the occasion, we could be in for another famous day.