Gloucester
If Bath is a city where rugby is important, Gloucester takes it another step further. Rugby is very much part of the identity of the city, and nowhere is that more obvious than at Kingsholm.
Gloucester Rugby have been playing here since 1891, and the ground is tucked away surprisingly close to the city centre. This isn't some modern stadium built on an industrial estate miles from anywhere. You are in the middle of Gloucester, surrounded by streets, pubs and houses, and it feels like a rugby ground should feel.
Kingsholm is a proper old-fashioned rugby stadium which has been gradually modernised rather than knocked down and replaced with something that could be anywhere in the country.
And then there is The Shed.If you've never experienced it, imagine putting several thousand extremely passionate Gloucester supporters in a covered terrace immediately alongside the pitch and giving them a licence to make as much noise as possible.
That's The Shed.
It has become one of the most famous stands in English rugby and is a big part of what makes Kingsholm intimidating for visiting teams. The Gloucester supporters are known as the Cherry and Whites, and they are not exactly shy when it comes to making their presence felt.
The club itself describes The Shed as having a raucous atmosphere, while also pointing out that the crowd is very family friendly. I'm sure both descriptions are perfectly accurate!
There is also the traditional Gloucester habit of making donkey noises whenever an opposition player makes a mistake. You really don't get that at Wembley.
Away from The Shed, Kingsholm has a mixture of seating and standing areas, with the newer stands providing considerably more comfortable surroundings. There are good views from most parts of the ground, although if you want the full Kingsholm experience rather than just a comfortable afternoon watching rugby, The Shed is obviously where the action is.The ground holds around 16,000 spectators and can generate a tremendous atmosphere when it is full. Local matches against the likes of Bath and Bristol are particularly special, with Gloucester being surrounded by other rugby-obsessed parts of the West Country.
And that is another reason I like Kingsholm.
It hasn't lost its identity.
There are modern hospitality facilities and padded seats if that's your thing, but you can still stand on a terrace, get close to the pitch and feel that you are at a rugby club rather than attending a corporate entertainment event.
The location also helps. Kingsholm is within easy walking distance of Gloucester city centre and the railway station, so you can quite happily make a day of it without needing to worry about finding some enormous car park on the outskirts of town.
If you're a neutral, Kingsholm is still worth visiting simply for the atmosphere. If Gloucester are playing a local rival, I'd imagine the experience is even better.But be warned.
If you're playing Gloucester and you find yourself standing in front of The Shed with a penalty to kick, you may suddenly discover that several thousand people have very strong opinions about your ability to kick a rugby ball.
And they won't be keeping them to themselves.
Kingsholm is one of those grounds where the surroundings, the history and the supporters all combine to make it feel like Gloucester Rugby's ground, rather than simply a stadium where Gloucester happen to play.
And that, for me, is exactly how a rugby ground should be.
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