18th December 2025
In the run-up to Big Game 17 on the 20th of December, SPHERE looks back on a VIP visit to Allianz Twickenham's matchday — showing you why the winnings of live sports lie in a lot more than the game.
The skies finally cleared in London, and the rugby gods flooded down from the heavens to the Allianz Twickenham Stadium.
After parking all previous assumptions of what a sports fixture would entail (an image of rowdy hooligans and family outings sprang to mind), I entered the stadium and realised there was no need to park anything, this experience would have thrown it off the pitch entirely by itself.
It wasn’t just any rugby match — it was a day at Cheltenham races, drinks at the Rosewood, and dinner at Sticks’n’Sushi. Almost immediately, I understood that the VIP hospitality experience at Allianz is unlike any other, and it seemed even more so after meeting plenty of rugby-goers in the suite who knew this was perhaps the best way to charm their high-end clients.
Armed with the ultimate matchday miracle (a complimentary bar stocked with Whispering Angel), paired with Sticks’n’Sushi and West Tier seats overlooking the action, it was impossible not to be swept up in the day. And come 2026, Allianz is doubling down on the theatre of it all with Live with Marler & Martin, a new hospitality package that will get you close enough to hear the stories that don’t make it to the commentary box.
There is potentially no love affair like the nation’s with gentlemanly brutality, and Twickenham is where that romance dresses up nicely and orders another round. With major fixtures spanning the Quilter Nations Series, Six Nations, Autumn Internationals, and Red Roses games, the stadium welcomes well over 500,000 fans across the main rugby calendar alone. Tradition, here, is taken seriously — and comfort, even more so.
I was welcomed by the warm hosts, who seemed entirely unfazed by the fact that they were expecting a couple of thousand guests within the next hour — so casual. Every need was met before we even realised it was a need. Drinks refilled themselves, plates appeared at precisely the right moment, and nothing ever felt rushed or excessive. When they say fame gets to people’s heads, is this what they meant?
By the time Sticks’n’Sushi entered the question, I decided that getting me to leave would be potentially the only issue hosts would have today. A variety of sushi and hero dishes prepared by Sticks‘n’Sushi chefs, alongside sticks from the grill, circulated the floor. With glasses of Whispering Angel busy being attended too and cocktails constantly being fussed over, any pre-game nerves were settled, and a buzz of excitement for the proceeding events began to set in.
Business partners or rugby fan alike, we all became family for a moment, revelling in sheer awe at how wonderful the day already was, even if it hadn’t really begun.
As the game commenced, I discovered that I was more of a rugby fan than I had presumed, or perhaps it was the Whispering Angel and East Tier seating that did it. Stepping out of the stadium, I realised that going back to the typical match days of queues, plastic cups, and frantic bar scrambles would be practically impossible, for I had finally discovered what a matchday should really be.
Come 2026, we shed our vices for at least a week and welcome in new beginnings and a fresh start. Following in suit (minus the vices), Allianz welcome their new Live with Marler & Martin VIP package for the Six Nations 2026 Games. The package includes seats in the West Lower tier (so close you may be in the danger zone of getting tackled) and a four course plated meal by beloved Chef James Martin who leaves the kitchen later on to host guests alongside *queue gasps* robbed traitor winner/every non-rugby watchers rugby familiar, Joe Marler. Not to mention, post-match, England players from the pitch will join the hosts for a debrief exclusive to the lucky guests.
The package is currently available for the next match on the 7th of February and is priced at £1249 per person. So whether you’re hunting for a last-minute Christmas present or simply craving rugby done properly, this is one matchday you won’t want to miss. I may have truly adored my day at the Sticks’n’Sushi VIP experience, but I’m side-eyeing anyone who manages to snag a ticket for this luxury experience.
Find more information on the Live with Marler & Martin VIP package here.
