Sir Clive Woodward has called for big changes to be made to rugby's drinking culture after claiming that Twickenham is now "the world's biggest pub".
The England World Cup-winning coach was left horrified by what he saw at the stadium during the Calcutta Cup match against Scotland, saying fans were "more concerned with drinking than rugby" as thousands spent long periods of the game queuing at the bar.
His comments mirror complaints that have been previously made about the match-day experience at the Principality Stadium, with fans getting up from their seats to head to the bar while Wales games are going on.
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In his MailOnline column, Woodward says watching a game at Twickenham has become a "pretty unpleasant experience" for fans. He called for the RFU to follow the example set in Wales, with the WRU setting up an alcohol-free zone at the Principality Stadium on international match days.
Woodward had been working pitchside as a pundit for ITV's pre-match coverage of the Six Nations clash before he walked through the stadium concourse to get to his seat as the anthems were played - and he was left "amazed" to see thousands of fans still queuing at the bar rather than sitting in the stands.
Woodward wrote: "My friends and family were at the match. They were surrounded by people who were more concerned with drinking than the rugby. They were up and down throughout the game. Each time they returned, they were carrying eight pints each.
"There was no trouble. These were decent, polite guys who apologised for causing a disturbance each time. But it was still incredibly annoying for my friends and family and they had beer spilt on them from behind. On two occasions, there were tries about to be scored and the returning fans were oblivious to the action on the pitch.
"What must be hugely frustrating for a lot of England fans is that many of them go to Twickenham just to watch the match. But whether they can or not is something that’s taken out of their hands by the actions of others who block their view with constant trips to the bar."
His experience led him to conclude that the RFU have "a big problem on their hands," as he stated: "Twickenham is turning into the world’s biggest pub and for many England fans, watching their team has become a pretty unpleasant experience."
While not wanting to ban drinking from the stadium entirely, Woodward called on the union to moderate it and asked whether they would prioritise making money from high ticket prices and food and drink or restore a good matchday culture, claiming that "rugby has gone the wrong way in this area".
He raised a number of potential solutions to the problem, with an alcohol free-zone, which was introduced at the Principality Stadium for the first time in 2018, among them.
In other areas of the Principality Stadium fans still head to the bar as the action unfolds, and Woodward believes preventing supporters from returning to their seats for a set time could be an answer at rugby games.
"The Welsh Rugby Union’s introduction of an alcohol-free zone for games at Principality Stadium was a good move and I think Twickenham should look to do the same," said Woodward. "An alcohol-free seating area doesn’t mean you can’t have a beer before and after the match. But what it would do is ensure those in that area are unlikely to be disturbed during the action."
Woodward, a Chelsea fan, pointed out: "Football is obviously a different experience to rugby because you can’t drink in the stands. But there would be a riot at Stamford Bridge if fans were up and down as they are at Twickenham and I think that there is soon going to be trouble if action is not taken.
"One other thing I think could be looked at is enforcing a rule where if you get up and leave your seat, you’re not allowed back in for a certain period of time. If you’re watching tennis at Wimbledon and exit the seating area, you’re blocked from returning until the players change ends.
"Rugby is obviously a different sport from tennis with fewer interludes, but if fans left and weren’t allowed back in until half-time, for instance, it would stop the exodus to the bars."
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