A Game for Men With Odd-Shaped Balls: Where To Watch the Rugby World Cup

Beijing’s rugby fans have been waiting four years for a World Cup with nothing to whet their appetites but regional rugby tournaments, the fever that gripped the city for last year’s FIFA World Cup and that Matt Damon movie with the funny accents. Their wait is over: The IRB World Cup kicks off this Friday in New Zealand. The first game pits the hosts against Tonga at 4.30pm. Even if you aren’t already enamoured with the 15-a-side code, you’ll be happy that the tournament’s Beijing-friendly time zone means that games will be televised here in the mornings and afternoons. See a full schedule here (click on line above the fixtures that says "Matches are set to New Zealand time, click here to switch to your local time").

So to the important question: Where can you watch a ruck? Check out the list below for your rugby options.

NB: Bar owners have warned us that they are at the mercy of satellite providers for their coverage. The feed may cut off during the tournament so please ring venues beforehand to check. Slingboxes and Internet feeds mean that all will not be lost.

The Den
The long-time winner of Best Sports Bar in the Beijinger Reader Bar & Club Awards is also home of the Beijing Devils rugby team, so it's a sure-fire place to watch all the games. Join the Devils by emailing beijingdevils@gmail.com and you'll get a Den-tastic discount for the tournament and the rest of the season.

Grinders
Canada's stance on rugby seems to be it's OK because it's not American. Chad and Trevor have promised that all the games will be shown on their three big screens. Chad also points out that Fubar will never ever show rugby as it has no TVs, so go there if you want to avoid it.

Paddy O’Shea’s
Paddy's has been up there with The Den in the eyes of sports fans since it opened and rugby enthusiasts are no exception. Slingbox, Internet and satellite mean that you shouldn't miss a kick, pass or tackle. Paddy's season ticket discount cards are still available.

Pomme O’Shea’s
The Shunyi favourite is another bar with Slingbox, Internet and satellite so you won't miss anything here either. (Except downtown.)

Paddy’s Pitstop
Karl Long has promised that the games will all be shown here, which is good if you are taking the kids shopping and want to sneak off to see a real maul.

Irish Volunteer
All the games but with the added bonus of free Tsingtao until the first points are scored. There's also free food for all of the big games – that means fixtures featuring Ireland or the US.

Frank’s Place
Johnny's putting the rugby on inside and out as well as lunch deals for the Lido crowd. There are rumours that each try will be celebrated with a magic show.

Union Bar & Grille
The always-affable Andy says that the games will be on until the satellite goes off. That's good enough for us, as is the daily happy hour that games happily coincide with.

Havana Bar
The bar at the Grand Millennium will play host to tournament sponsor Heineken. It might get a little boozy.

The Stumble Inn
The only bar that is likely to have beer from whichever country is winning at that moment. If you need something to help you enjoy the egg-chasing, then that won't hurt.

If you know of any other venues showing the game, then please tell us in the comments below.

Image: Pank Magazine