The best rugby pubs in London

This place claims to be the most famous rugby pub in the world. While we can’t confirm that, we can tell you that it’s found opposite Twickenham station, attracting a fair few loyal supporters for a pre- or post-match pint, as well as those who’ve missed out on match-day tickets and fancy soaking up some serious sports atmosphere. They even have private screening rooms available for hire if you and your mates fancy making the most of the action.

Tucked away down a side street off busy Stroud Green Road, this is a dream of a rugby pub. Consequently, it’s always busy, despite its kind of hidden location. A front room holds several screens for match days and there’s a studenty feel thanks to picnic table seating, perfect for raucous rugby fans. Plus, the Thai food served here is great for soaking up celebratory pints - here’s hoping.

Flat Iron Square is a party-focussed hub for drinking, dining and dancing in the shadow of The Shard. They show all the major sporting events, including the Six Nations and for 2026 they're teaming up with Camden Town Brewery and Rugby Pod for a mini-festival of rugby. There’ll be 16 screens – plus a mega 16ft screen – showing all the action, as well as private areas to book if you and your pals want to get away from the scrum and have some space to call your own. It might be £8 to get in, but that includes a free pint. 

Halfway down narrow Church Street, parallel to the Thames and the Eel Pie Island of early 1960s music lore, this likeable old pub is a real rugby haunt. Walls of framed tickets, colour caricatures and signed shirts line the far end of the two-space interior, historic prints of this sleepy neighbourhood the other. 

If you’re looking for atmosphere, this Covent Garden pub has it in spades. If you came for a pint here just once a decade, you wouldn’t find that much had changed. History hangs in the air and there’s rugby on a large screen downstairs. The permanently crowded pavement out front is ideal for a post-match debrief.

This Richmond boozer draws a civilised crowd of rugby fans, who will be gripped by the big screen during games. The pub also serves a hefty ploughman’s, which seems like pretty decent half time fare to us. And despite it being pretty chilly out, the pub will be opening its patio bar and firing up the barbecue on match days, too.

This Clapham mainstay is going big for the Six Nations, with a beer garden takeover that will be stacked with deck chairs, rugby balls and loads of massive screens to watch the action on. Let’s just hope the weather holds out. 

This riverside local has a real rugby fan following. There are also cabins outside under a wooden pergola with their own televisions and heaters, which can be reserved on certain days. Booking a private area means you won’t have to embarrass your friends with your rowdy rugby chants. 

Get down to Shoreditch to catch the action on the pitch. The Long Arm on Worship Street has big screens showing off the sporting action. Not only that, but nervous punters can also secure a space for them and their mates with an advance private booking. 

One of Richmond’s most popular pubs screens all the rugger to the area’s loyal, local fanbase. Get a seat and grab some tempting grub. If you’re going all out, see about booking the secret bar upstairs, Dropkick Jonny’s, which offers a space for private screenings so you can feel the heat from your own rugby scrum.

In 1871, England players gathered here in Blackheath before the first ever international rugby union match, an event commemorated with a modest alcove of mementoes. You can book a seat for rugby screenings with a spot of history, and enjoy a cracking roast dinner once it’s all over.

Thought Dalston was too cool for rugby? Think again. The Three Compasses just off Ridley Road busts out its projector screen for live action from the biggest sporting events, rugby included. The pub serves cracking match-day grub from regularly rotating street-food residencies in the kitchen.

A landmark Young’s pub and rightly so, the large, Victorian-era Alma serves punters of all stripes gathered around a low, island bar. Some perch on barstools, others at tables nearer the windows: most will be gawping at the large, pull-down screen for big matches. Outside of these magic 80 minutes plus stoppages, the Alma attracts ale fans eager to sink pints. 

This pub gets busy for weekend lunches, so imagine how packed it is when the rugger comes around. But it all adds to the match-day atmosphere and you can book a spot for groups in advance to make sure you’re enjoying the sports in stylish Kensington surrounds. Get in a round of The Duke’s seasonal ale and meat-based bar snacks – sausage rolls, scotch eggs and scratchings.

Irish by professed nationality but global by nature, this sprawling Covent Garden hostelry is sure to provide a bustling atmosphere for big games. It’ll also encourage some healthy rivalry, with all nationalities flocking to the central London hotspot.

In summer, you can catch a tan and catch the action in this London Fields pub’s outdoor area where screens show all the biggest and best sporting events. Luckily, it’s fully heated and covered in winter months too. Fixtures are aired indoors on LED screens though, should you be feeling the chill regardless.