Nottingham Rugby Club is preparing for one of the biggest games in its history, with the Archers set to welcome Leicester Tigers to The Bay on Friday, 22 November, in the third round of Premiership Cup games.
Nottingham Rugby Club relocated to The Bay in 2014 following a stint at Notts County’s Meadow Lane stadium, after calling Ireland Avenue in Beeston the club’s home for 101 years.
To date, the club’s record crowd at The Bay was recorded in 2015, when the Archers hosted Tonga in a warm-up match for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The fixture attracted 2,500 through the turnstiles, but the club’s local derby clash with Leicester Tigers later this month promises to set a new record, with over 3,000 fans expected to be in attendance for a sell-out occasion.
For Nottingham Rugby’s Chairman, Alistair Bow, the impending fixture with Leicester Tigers is a significant moment in the club’s history and one which the staff are busy preparing for to ensure the fanbase has a night to remember.
“Welcoming clubs from the Premiership to The Bay is always an occasion, but for us to be hosting our close neighbours, Leicester Tigers, in the Cup promises to be very special,” he said.
“Both clubs will want to reach the next round, so we’re anticipating a strong starting line-up from the opposition. The manager and the players are completing all of the necessary preparations to make us competitive, and we know that with the fantastic backing of our home supporters, we have every chance of causing an upset.”
Alistair continued: “We expect the fixture to be a sell-out, so for those planning on attending, we recommend purchasing tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. Hospitality is already at capacity, as are both of the grandstands, and we’re installing temporary terraces to accommodate the anticipated record crowd. A special fan zone will also be in place with food and drink for supporters of both teams, as well as fireworks ahead of kick-off.”
Having led Premiership champions Northampton Saints at the weekend, only to miss out on a famous win in the final few minutes of the match, the Archers currently sit above Tigers in the pools of the Cup and will all but eliminate them with a win at The Bay.
Following the narrow defeat to Northampton, Head Coach Craig Hammond said: “The boys have been playing so well recently, it’s great to see. They have come together this term and gelled into a really efficient team. We were 28-5 up against the current Premiership leaders, Northampton Saints, but some strong half-time substitutions brought them back into the match. In the end, it was a tight loss, but we came home with two points. We will certainly be taking the confidence from that performance into our match against Leicester Tigers.”
Nottingham Rugby will kick off their third-round Premiership Cup tie against Leicester Tigers at 7:45 pm on Friday, 22 November, with tickets available to purchase online via Ticketco.
