Nottingham Rugby Club set for historic clash as Archers host Leicester Tigers

Nottingham Rugby Club is gearing up for a historic match, as the Archers prepare to host Leicester Tigers at The Bay on Friday, November 22nd in the third round of the Premiership Cup.

The club has called The Bay home since 2014, after previously playing at Notts County’s Meadow Lane and spending over a century at Ireland Avenue in Beeston.

The Bay’s current attendance record of 2,500 was set in 2015 when Nottingham hosted Tonga in a Rugby World Cup warm-up.

However, the upcoming derby with Leicester Tigers is expected to shatter that record, with a sellout crowd of over 3,000 fans anticipated.

Nottingham Ruby’s Chairman, Alistair Bow, said: “Welcoming clubs from the Premiership to The Bay is always an occasion but for us to be hosting our close neighbours, Leicester Tigers, in the Cup, promises to be very special.

“Both clubs will want to reach the next round, so we’re anticipating a strong starting lineup from the opposition. The manager and the players are completing all of the necessary preparations to make us competitive and we know that with the fantastic backing of our home supporters, we have every chance of causing an upset,”

 “We expect the fixture to be a sellout so for those planning on attending, we recommend purchasing tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. Hospitality is already at capacity, as are both of the grandstands, and we’re installing temporary terraces to accommodate the anticipated record crowd. A special fan zone will also be in place with food and drink for supporters of both teams, as well as fireworks ahead of kick-off.”

Head Coach Craig Hammond said: “The boys have been playing so well recently, it’s great to see. They have come together this term and gelled into an efficient team. We were 28-5 up against the current Premiership leaders in Northampton Saints but some strong half-time substitutions brought them back into the match. In the end, it was a tight loss but we came home with two points. We will certainly be taking the confidence from that performance into our match against Leicester Tigers.