Where to Watch the 6 Nations in Bristol
Posted on: 02 Feb 2017Here we are once more, dear friends, on the cusp of the best six weeks in the annual sporting calendar at the outset of rugby’s greatest championship. The Six Nations is the home of the Europe’s finest oval ball action, where mettles are forged, rivalries reacquainted and gauntlets thrown down in pursuit of the northern hemisphere’s greatest prize. And we receive a timely reminder of just how much everyone dislikes the English. It is likely that you won’t want to miss a moment of the tantalising action, so ensure you are familiar with Bristol’s list of rugby-friendly pubs below, which will show every minute of all 15 games this spring.
***FOR 2018 6 NATIONS VENUES IN BRISTOL CLICK HERE***
It’s back. Just when you thought your liver was safe post-Christmas, the 6 Nations rears its glorious head, bringing with it the prospect of six weeks of mouth-watering rugby. And this year, with the summer’s Lions tour looming large, the championship is of particular significance for the players of the home nations who will hope to catch the all-seeing eye of Warren Gatland to book their place on the plane to New Zealand.
And they will all be out to get England, whose record-equalling unbeaten run of 14 games in 2016 has rendered their scalp that much sweeter. Their sumptuous recent form, which saw them roll to a Grand Slam and a 3-0 whitewash Down Under, has seen Eddie Jones’ men made the clear bookies’ favourites - yet with away games against Ireland and Wales, and the absence of the Vunipola brothers, Manu Tuilangi and Chris Robshaw through injury this is certainly not a done deal yet.
The nation with the best chance of upsetting the English applecart is Ireland, whose two-tone year began with a disappointing defence of their 6 Nations crown, before the Autumn brought historic victories over New Zealand and Australia. Key to their success this time around is the fitness of talismanic 10 Jonathan Sexton (above), around whom their system of player responsibility revolves - but who is set to miss their opening game against Scotland with a calf injury.
Wales have been solid if unspectacular under interim coach Rob Howley, grinding out three wins out of four in the Autumn and a second place finish last time around. It remains to be seen how the new captaincy of Alun Wyn Jones, he of the impassioned anthem singing, will affect the flow of the boys in red.
Vern Cotter’s tenure as Scotland boss has allowed for optimism to cautiously develop around Murrayfield since his take over in 2014. While the visible signs of improvement are yet to properly translate into results, with pace-mongers Stuart Hogg, the Flying Scotsman (below), and Tim Visser starring in a pugnacious back three they can score tries out of nothing. This could be the year that they make some serious inroads into the table.
On the continent, France and Italy will hope to recover from dismal showings last time around when they finished fifth and sixth respectively. While the mercurial quality of the French, when combined with their incendiary backline (though sorely deprived of Wesley Fofana), means that they can beat any side on their day (which, of late, has been coming less and less frequently), Italy still look some distance adrift in terms of quality.
While the above makes an obvious winner unclear, what is clear is that it is going to be an enthralling tournament. Don’t miss a bounce with our handy list of pubs that are showing every minute of every game and grouped into Bristol regions:
City Centre
Seamus O'Donnells, 13 St Nicholas Street, Bristol, BS1 1UE.
Tel: 0117 925 1283. Proper Guinness at Bristol's Irish Pub!
Golden Guinea, 19 Guinea St, Bristol, BS1 6SX.
Tel. 0117 987 2034. Awarded the title Bristol's Best Back Street Boozer!
The Ship Inn, 8 Lower Park Row, Bristol BS1 5BJ.
Tel. 0117 925 9459. Brilliant pub food and huge selection of drinks.
The Crown, 10 All Saints Lane, Bristol BS1 1JH.
Tel. 0117 934 9996. A royally good spot at which to watch the rugby.
The Lanes, 22 Nelson St, Bristol BS1 2LE.
Tel. 0117 325 1979. If the rugby is not going your way take it out on the ten pin bowling alley.
Walkabout, 40 Corn St, Avon, Bristol BS1 1HQ.
Tel. 0117 930 0181. Aussies are crazy about rugby even when they aren't playing. Joing them for a jar at Walkabout.
Pranj's Bar, 41 Corn Street, Bristol, BS1 1HT.
Tel. 07532 488458 If you want to reserve the VIP area. It's gonna be busy!
Clifton
Clifton Wine Bar, 3-5 Richmond Terrace, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1AB.
Tel. 0117 973 2069. Table bookings available.
Alma Tavern, 18-20 Alma Vale Rd, Bristol BS8 2HY.
Tel. 0117 973 5171.
The Lansdown, 8 Clifton Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1AF
Tel. 0117 973 4949. Multi-screen enjoyment of all of the matches at this Clifton staple.
Cotham
Cotham Porter Stores, 15 Cotham Road South, Cotham, Bristol, BS6 5TZ.
Tel. 01179 423546. The Rugby Pub in Bristol!
Gloucester Road
Prince of Wales, 5 Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8AA
Tel. 0117 924 5552. Not only open to Welsh fans, this is a great spot for a bit of sporting action.
The Anchor, 323 Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8PE
Tel. 0117 924 1769. Bed down at the top of Gloucester Road for the best of the oval ball.
Bubalu, 79 Gloucester Rd, Bristol BS7 8AS.
Tel. 0117 9245381. The healthiest place to watch the rugby in Bristol and child friendly too!
Henleaze and Horfield
The Gloucester Old Spot, 138-140 Kellaway Avenue, Horfield, Bristol, BS6 7YQ.
Tel. 0117 924 7693.
Hotwells
The Bear, 261 Hotwell Road, Hotwells, Bristol, BS8 4SF.
Tel. 0117 987 7796.
Merchants Arms, 5 Merchants Road, Hotwells, Bristol, BS8 4PZ.
Tel. 0117 904 0037.
Shirehampton
The Lamplighters, Station Road, Bristol, BS11 9XA.
Tel. 0117 279 3754. The pub with one of the best views of Bristol.
Regil/Winford
The Crown, Regil, Winford, Bristol, BS40 8AY.
Tel. 01275 472388. Join Frank the landlord who knows everything there is to know about rugby.
Pilning
The Plough Inn, Pilning Street, Nr Pilning, Bristol, BS35 4JJ.
Tel. 01454 632556. A great local serving terrific food.
East Harptree
The Waldegrave Arms, Church Lane, East Harptree, BS40 6BD.
Tel. 01761 221429. A village pub with great food, excellent wine and good beer.
Keynsham
The Crown Inn, 63 Bristol Road, Keynsham, BS31 2WA.
Tel. 01179 862150. The certified rugby pub in Keynsham.
Saltford
The Riverside Inn, Saltford Marina, The Shallows, Saltford, BS31 3EZ.
Tel. 01225 873862. Watch the rugby down by the river.
Fixtures
Round 1:
Scotland - Ireland, 04.02 2.25pm
England - France, 04.02 4.50pm
Italy - Wales, 05.02 2.00pm
Round 2:
Italy - Ireland, 11.02 2.25pm
Wales - England, 11.02 4.50pm
France - Scotland, 12.02 3.00pm
Round 3:
Scotland - Wales, 25.02 2.25pm
Ireland - France, 25.02 4.50pm
England - Italy, 26.02 3.00pm
Round 4:
Wales - Ireland, 10.03 8.00pm
Italy - France, 11.03 1.30pm
England - Scotland, 11.03 4.00pm
Round 5:
Scotland - Italy, 18.03 12.30pm
France - Wales, 18.03 2.45pm
Ireland - England, 18.03 5.00pm
Article by:
An ardent Geordie minus the accent, Sam seemingly strove to get as far away from the Toon as possible, as soon as university beckoned. Three undergraduate years at UoB were more than ample time for Bristol (as it inevitably does) to get under his skin, and so here he remains: reporting, as Assistant Editor, on the cultural happenings which so infatuated him with the city. Catch him at sam@365bristol.com.
