Firstly, there are two main breeds of rugby: League and Union. They have different rules, and League is usually played during the summer, Union in the autumn/winter. Union is the better-known and more popular form of the sport (indeed, some Union fans don’t really consider League to be a real sport) and it’s a Rugby Union World Cup.

Rugby has quite a few formal rules, and we can’t give them all here. But the fundamentals are that a team of fifteen have to carry an elliptical ball over the opposite team’s “try” line and place it on the ground. Preventing the team from doing this is the other team, who can tackle opponents with the ball anywhere below the head or neck, taking them to the ground. Hard.

The ball can only be passed backwards, which is why players form a line allowing the ball to be passed along, but never thrown forward. If a player is tackled, they must get rid of the ball quickly by placing it on the ground so that a member of their team can pick it up and continue play. If, as sometimes happens, players pile on this poor bloke and prevent the ball from coming out for a few seconds, the referee will intervene.

If someone manages to put the ball down past the opposition’s try line, then they score a try, worth 5 points. The team who scored then have an opportunity to “convert” the try, meaning they take a kick to get the ball over the H posts standing in line with where the player touched the ball down (as most tries are scored near the corner of the pitch, this can make for some extremely difficult kicks). A successful conversion is worth an extra two points.

Players can score by kicking a field goal (basically booting the ball over the H posts) at any time, or, in the event that a penalty is granted, the advantaged team can go for a kick or simply resume play as they choose. Both penalties and field goals are worth three points.

If the ball gets stuck in a “ruck” or a “maul” (situations where the two teams are basically a tight cluster of men pushing each other) and doesn’t come out, then a scrum is given (it is also given if the ball is passed forward and in some other minor situations). Scrums are basically organised rucks or mauls.

Players on a team link up in a specific formation and push each other. The ball is thrown in, and the scrum has to kick it out in favour of the team that threw it in. The objective is to use the formation to gain ground, preferably keeping the ball inside for as long as possible (unless it is stagnant). A scrum cannot turn, nor is it allowed to collapse.

The game is played in two halves of 40 minutes each, and the best games are those close-to-the-knuckle low-scoring games where two sides are very evenly matched. So if you didn’t know, then now you do!

The world cup takes place at venues all over the UK (not just in Twickenham) so unless you’re omnipresent, you won’t be able to see all the games in person. There are three venues hosting games in London, however, so if you can get along to one of them, we highly recommend it. Book London accommodation nearby from just £15 per person per night!

Twickenham: First up, there’s Twickenham (obviously). This is the home of English rugger, and was purpose-built to host our biggest rugby matches. In fact, it’s the largest single-purpose rugby union stadium in the world, and nestled as it is in the bountifully beautiful borough of Richmond, it certainly sets the scene for the game.

Rugby is seen as a bit of a posh sport in the UK, mainly because it’s what boys are forced to do during games at Britain’s all-boys private schools (state schools tend to favour football, though the trend is changing), and rugby audiences like to think of themselves as a little more refined than football ones.

This stereotype is supported by Twickenham being situated in an exceedingly affluent part of London, and it is a beautiful part of the country and well worth visiting. The nearby pubs will almost all show the games, so even if you don’t make it inside the stadium itself, just being in Twickenham town will give you a pretty good rugby vibe!

The William Webb Ellis is named after the chap credited with inventing rugby, so it’s hardly surprising that it’s quite a rugger-focused venue. As with most Wetherspoons, you can expect a few gigantic TVs and very reasonably priced drinks, as well as a brilliant selection of guest ales at very low prices. The downside is that it gets very busy and the interior is a little lacking in charm, but on match days, you’d be hard pushed to find a better boozer.

Central London: Watching rugby is all about the atmosphere, and since it’s a properly British sport you’re watching, you might as well do it in a properly British environment.

Our favourite is the cosy, all-British Cross Keys in Hammersmith, in that it is a friendly merger of old and new. The style is modern but many original features have been preserved and made much of, to great effect. The sport is on, and it’s unlikely that you’ll be bombarded by hundreds of shouting louts. Great beers are on draught and the food is pretty good.

For a viewing experience with a bit of a difference, head down to Borough High Street and catch one of the games in the bar-cum-indie-cinema Roxy. It’s a great little venue, draped all around in deep-red velvet to give it that cinema feel and with a decent kitchen serving reasonably priced food. The surroundings are comfortable, and though it is slightly bizarre watching rugby in what would otherwise feel like a 1940s cabaret venue, it’s a novelty that you won’t forget in a hurry. To boot, the screen is huge for a bar. It is, after all, an indie cinema. The beer selection isn’t staggering, but you’re likelier to be here for the atmosphere than their exquisite taste in ale.

For something slap bang in the centre of town and a trip into traditional history with your pint and your game, head to the Lord Raglan in St Paul’s. The pub is one of the many to claim the title of “oldest in London” and has quite a good argument (there’s part of a Roman wall in its cellar) and has developed over time into a quiet gastropub with a solid menu and a good drinks selection. Downstairs, they have sport on and, as it’s in the City, it’s unlikely to get too busy. This is also a great option for weekday matches you want to see, as it closes at 7:30pm on Saturdays (as no one lives in that area of London). It’s low-lit, Victorian and has a lot of wood on display, so a nice traditional venue to watch your nice traditional sport.

Suit the venue to the game: To really get into the spirit of things, do a touch of research. With so many nations playing and London being one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, there’s going to be somewhere for you to watch the big games!

On Saturday 3 October South Africa faces down Scotland, so why not watch the game at The Slug @ Wimbledon? The South African themed bar and eatery will be going mad for all South Africa’s world cup games, so you couldn’t possibly be in a more atmospheric place for these games.

The whole point of having a competition like this is for teams to showcase their continual improvement, so it’s inevitable that each world cup will have its sides that surprise everyone with their sudden brilliance on the field. We can’t predict who they’ll be, but we do know which teams have been consistently remarkable throughout the years. These games are usually the most exciting and have the biggest demand in terms of ticket sales, and we’ve got a recommended place to watch them if you can’t get tickets to the game itself!

Saturday 19 September: France vs Italy This promises to be a close and furious game between two old rivals, and right at the start of the competition you can expect some high energy playing. We recommend watching this game at the aforementioned Le Bar des Magis. As the game’s being played at Twickenham, our back-up venue is the William Webb Ellis (also in Twickenham).

Saturday 26 September: England vs Wales This will be a massive game, obviously. The English team and Welsh team clash with a ferocity seldom seen on the field, and the Welsh team often emerge on top. To watch it, we recommend London’s pre-eminent rugby pub, the Northcote in Battersea. There is, without a doubt, no better place to watch domestic matches.

Saturday 3 October: South Africa vs Scotland & England vs Australia This is a big day for rugby. Fortunately, you don’t have to choose which to watch. But you will want to pace yourself, as you’ll be drinking from about 4.30pm ‘til way past 10pm. As it’s good to have a change of scenery, we recommend staying central for these two rather than going all the way down to Wimbledon (which we recommend for the first one).

Camden is where it’s at then. Get to the Edinboro Castle for the Scotland game; the cosy, gastropub environment is comfortable, on the posher side of sports pubs and offers great food you can enjoy while the game’s on. After that, head to the Earl of Camden. It’s a less posh affair, but a more community-based vibe and is really popular with locals. This is great for the England support feeling, although (it being Camden) you’ll definitely get a bunch of Australians in there too. Unlike with rival football fans, rugger fans tend to enjoy each other’s company, especially during games.

Sunday 4 October: Ireland vs Italy It’s off to Philomena’s in Covent Garden for you. You’ll need a swift Guinness to finish blowing the cobwebs from last night out, then you can enjoy the 4.45pm kick off. Philomena’s is one of London’s favourite Irish bars, as well as its least gimmicky, and watching Ireland take on Italy will mean the place is packed to the rafters. It’ll be a fantastic vibe and probably the best place in town to watch this game. If you’re Italian, all the better; it will be a right ol’ knees up.

Sunday 11 October: Ireland vs France For this game, we’ve opted for a neutral setting but a great one for watching sports. The Barrow Boy and Banker outside London Bridge train station is a great pub for sports, as well as being a beautiful architectural piece. It’s usually big with city workers and, unsurprisingly, bankers. But, this being a Sunday, you won’t be surrounded by suits so you can enjoy the game in relative quietness. As it isn’t an England/Scotland/Wales game, the pub is unlikely to be completely mobbed, but there’ll be a fair few rugger fans about to make it feel like an event. For any of these matches, make life easy for yourself by nabbing a great price on your London accommodation in advance.

Want to relive some of your favourite moments from the games you’ve been watching? No problem. Pick up a ball at any good sports shop and head over the park with your mates. Hang on, you don’t have 29 friends who are all in the same area at the same time for a gruelling contact sport with confusing rules? No worries! You only need a couple. Even if it’s just you and a friend learning how to throw a long spin pass, a lot of fun can be had.

If you’re in a hostel and know how to play, put a sign up and see who comes along. Even with 14 people, you can have two teams of seven and play a version of the sport imaginatively called “sevens”. The rules are more or less the same except scrums only use three players, halves of the game are only 7 minutes long (as opposed to 40). Regent’s Park and Hyde Park are great places to go and play, but really any green space is fine and London is full of those!

From great hotels in Twickenham to loads of cheap and budget accommodation near the Cross Keys in Hammersmith, we’ve got hotel, hostel and B&B deals to suit you perfectly and save you cash for that extra couple of pints on match days.

Book well in advance for your rugby holiday to London to get the most out of your cash and save a bundle. Our deals get snapped up fast, so before rugby season descends in all of its muddy fury, book your stay!