Plan for Twickenham to host 20,000 fans to see England face Barbarians

England hope to host as many as 20,000 supporters at Twickenham for their international clash with the Barbarians on Sunday 25 October.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has asked the government for permission to host the largest number of fans so far at a UK sports event since the coronavirus lockdown.

The non- cap international against the Barbarians could be a pivotal test case in the government’s pilot scheme aimed at returning supporters to sports contests across the UK.

Tickets for the match went on sale yesterday.

“We continue to work closely with government and the local authority on the return of sports fans to the stadium,” said RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney .“The numbers of fans able to attend, given social distancing requirements, will be significantly lower than normal and subject to final agreement from government.

“Local resident and spectator safet y is our top priorit y and numerous measures are b e i n g i mple mented f or t h e events that either adhere to or exceed the guidance provided by the government and the Sports Ground Safety Authority. A test event will be held to put into practice our operational plans and demonstrate that Twickenham Stadium is well prepared.”

The RFU must still receive a rubber stamp from the Government to be able to allow such high numbers into Twickenham, but the English governing body insisted it already has strong social distancing plans in place.