Historic Twickenham Pub rebrands to celebrate Women’s Rugby
In a historic year for women’s rugby, the world’s most famous rugby pub, the ‘Cabbage Patch’, has been transformed into ‘The Red Roses Patch’ for the Women’s Six Nations tournament.
The rebrand accompanies a striking new mural dedicated to England’s Red Roses rugby team, which was unveiled at the pub last month.
The mural, designed by street artist MurWalls, features England captain Zoe Aldcroft beside vice-captains Marlie Packer and Meg Jones.
The inside has seen a similar makeover, fans can enjoy a range of Red Roses memorabilia, from World Cup winner Katy Daley Mclean’s shirt to rugby legend Gill Burns’ boots.
The Red Roses patch is arguably the best destination for fans to celebrate the team and tune into all the action.
“The name the Cabbage Patch is synonymous with rugby,” General Manager Stuart Green exclusively told the Sports Gazette.
“I wanted to really show that we had made an extra special effort, so the Red Roses Patch was the most natural and palatable name that we had.”
The interior decor celebrates Red Roses stars, past and present. Legendary players are depicted on the windows, along with pictures of the 1994 and 2014 World Cup-winning squads.
Green, a graduate of St Mary’s University Twickenham, added: “The biggest growth in rugby is the female element of it. We really want to show the women that we’re behind them.
“We already sponsor St Mary’s women’s rugby union team, we have a number of staff who have gone on to play professional rugby. Marlie Packer herself used to work for me.”
Displayed prominently on Twickenham high street, the mural is already inspiring the next generation of Red Roses.
“Two young girls, whose parents use the pub, told me that they have been watching it going up for the past three days, and it has made them want to take up rugby,” Green shared.
Aldcroft, Packer and Jones joined the Patch team for the great unveiling of the mural.
“It was an honour to have the girls come down,” Green said.
“That spread throughout the rest of the squad, and if the squad are talking about it, that filters down to the young girls who are playing on a Saturday and Sunday at the local parks.
“It’s brilliant, and I love the fact that they’ve been pleased with what we’ve created.”
This is a pivotal year in Women’s rugby with England heavy favourites going into the next tournament, the opportunity to make the home World Cup the perfect launchpad for the stratospheric growth of the game is one too good to be wasted.
Over 275,000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament, with matches spanning the length and breadth of the country.
The tournament will look to benefit from targeting ‘rugby-centric’ locations with games in Exeter and Northampton and with the success of the opening Six Nations fixture in York, the women’s game is keen to break into the northern rugby market, a resource considered untapped by the men’s game.
Aldcroft told England Rugby: “I can’t wait to see where this team can go; 2025 is going to be a massive year for us as a team and I’m just honoured to be a part of it.”
Victory over Italy in York in round one and a thrashing of Wales in Cardiff last weekend puts John Mitchell’s side on a 22-match-winning streak.
This tournament provides the opportunity for the Red Roses to win a fourth consecutive Six Nations Grand Slam.
They will finish the tournament at Allianz Stadium on the 26th of April, and there’s no doubt the Red Roses pub will be full to the brim on that Super Saturday.
