There’s something about watching rugby at the pub that feels like stepping back into the clubhouse only the floors are cleaner, and the pints come faster.

The moment I walk in, I can already hear it: that low hum of bad chat, laughter, and the kind of shouts you only get when someone’s convinced they could’ve made that tackle themselves.

I’m surrounded by the same blokes I’ve played rugby with since I was 15 years old. We’ve shared changing rooms, bruises, and coach trips that went on far too long. Now, we share a table sticky with spilled Guinness, eyes glued to the screen as the national anthem rolls. It’s not just about the game, it’s about that bond that never goes away. No matter how long it’s been since you last played together.

Someone’s giving tactics as if they’re an international coach, another’s reminding everyone how he “used to hit like that” back in his day. Between pints, we’re reliving our own glory days, mostly wonder tries from colts, playing hungover, the tours that we have been on. And when the team scores, the whole pub erupts like we’re all still out there playing.

It’s the best kind of nostalgia. The kind that reminds you rugby isn’t just a sport, it’s a community, a brotherhood – especially during the Autumn Internationals, when every game feels like a reunion over a shared passion.  This is why I love this sport. It really brings everyone together as a community and there is no where like the pub to watch a game with the people you love. You can’t beat that feeling.