Two thousand fans will be allowed to enter Twickenham to watch England take on France in the Autumn Nations Cup final this weekend, it has been announced.
The inaugural edition of the tournament comes to an end on Sunday as England face France in the English capital, and supporters will be permitted to attend the fixture in a socially-distanced manner following the end of a national lockdown.
On Wednesday, England returned to a tiered system amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the move has meant certain sporting events welcoming back fans after – in most cases – many months of absence.
Rugby Football Union (RFU) CEO Bill Sweeney said: “We’re looking forward to seeing fans back in the stadium this weekend.
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“While the numbers are limited, it is an opportunity to operate a socially-distanced event as a small step forward in our plans for the return of fans to stadia.
“Our staff at the stadium have worked hard to put numerous measures in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all those attending the game, including 400 NHS workers who have been invited as a thank you from the rugby family for all their sacrifice and hard work this year.
“The team will be really pleased to have fans supporting them in person.”
A statement from the RFU added: “Twenty percent of the seats for the game have been gifted to local NHS workers, the remaining are for players families, local rugby clubs, sponsors and around 1,000 are on sale to local residents.”
Earlier on Wednesday, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that 1,000 fans will be able to attend Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defence against Kubrat Pulev at London’s Wembley Arena on 13 December.
Matchroom Sports, run by Hearn’s father Barry, also announced that 1,000 fans will be permitted to attend each session of the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. The tournament is set to begin on 15 December and will run until 3 January, with fans returning to a PDC event in England for the first time since March.
