Five reasons to catch the Lions tour games at The Approach

When the British & Irish Lions touch down in Australia for their once-every-twelve-years pilgrimage, every pub, sports bar and front room from Subiaco to Surry Hills pays attention. The 2025 series against the Wallabies is circled in permanent marker on calendars in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and early kick-offs have rugby diehards hunting venues that bottle the buzz of a Test morning. Half a world away in Nottingham, The Approach has built its reputation as the place where supporters, travellers and curious locals pile in for the biggest fixtures of the year.

The Approach sits a short stumble from the city's tram stops and a stone's throw from the Old Market Square, making it a natural gathering point whether you've booked a hotel or are drifting in from a day at the shops. The venue pairs its sports coverage with live entertainment, weekend roasts and a drinks list that goes further than a flat pint. For an Australian crowd looking for a familiar pub rhythm — early doors, a schooner in hand and a screen to plant your eyes on — the experience lands comfortably.

Catching a Lions Test in Australia usually means waking before dawn, sorting out a TAB account and arguing about whether the back-row combination will hold up at the breakdown. Watching from Nottingham flips the time difference into something easier: a relaxed arvo, a seat with a view and a kitchen serving food that turns the morning into an occasion. The Approach has readied itself for exactly this kind of Saturday-into-Sunday rugby marathon.

A series that only happens once in a generation

Tours to the southern hemisphere unfold once every twelve years for the British & Irish Lions, and the Australian leg is the rarest of all. The last time the Lions walked onto Australian soil, the Wallabies were still coached by Michael Cheika and Melbourne's trams were running fans to and from the MCG. The next instalment lands this winter, with fixtures in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne — meaning the venue you watch from shapes the whole memory of the series.

For supporters who can't cross the Indian Ocean, watching in a packed venue with people who genuinely care about the outcome makes a difference. The Approach has refined its match-day setup for fixtures like this, with screens positioned so nobody has to crane their neck and audio tuned so commentary cuts through a busy bar. The Are You Ready guide shows how the team has prepared the floor for the bigger international windows.

Atmosphere that travels further than the players do

There is something about a Lions Test that lifts any room it lands in, even a room eight thousand miles from the Suncorp Stadium turf. The Approach has built its name on big sporting moments — Premier League run-ins, Champions League nights, Ashes evenings, boxing pay-per-views — and the staff know how to handle the build-up without steamrolling the regular crowd. Expect a buzz from late morning, rounds ordered in clusters and a tangible switch when the anthems start.

Venue staff have tweaked the layout over recent seasons so the bar feels alive without feeling chaotic. The beer garden gets a workout on warmer afternoons, the snug fills with regulars who have tipped the Wallabies in the office sweep, and the main room draws in groups booking ahead for prime spots. Walking in for a kick-off you haven't yet met is half the fun; the joint reaction when a wing races seventy metres changes the temperature of the floor.

Food that earns its place next to a Test match

Match-day food has moved well past a cold pie and a flask of something warm. The Approach leans into plates that reward a long sit-down, whether you are in for a single Test or the full three-match stretch. Wood-fired pizzas land at the table fast enough to keep pace with first-half scrums, and the Sunday roast is built for groups who plan to stay for the post-match analysis. Sharing boards make sense when you don't want to lose eye contact with the action.

The kitchen runs regular food and drink promotions that take the sting out of a full day's viewing. For Australians used to a parma at the pub or a counter meal on a Saturday arvo, the menu scratches a familiar shape while keeping one foot in the surrounding market of East Midlands producers. Vegetarian and gluten-free pizzas hold their own, and the kitchen often rolls out specials that match the shirt colours of whichever side is touring.

Live music to carry you past the final whistle

Rugby fans who want to stretch the session beyond the closing hooter don't have to wave down a separate cab to keep the night going. The Approach runs live bands and entertainment most weekends, and Test weekends turn into something closer to a mini-festival. Past acts have ranged from local blues outfits to tribute nights, and the schedule matches the mood of the touring team — British, Irish or anywhere else on the calendar.

The stage area shifts around major sporting events so music doesn't crash into commentary, and the venue fills the gap between an early-evening Test and a late-night session. For Australians travelling through the UK, ending the night at a venue with live music is familiar. After the final whistle, The Approach feels like a small corner of Brisbane's Caxton Street, the strip outside Suncorp Stadium that has long been the go-to for Wallabies fans.

A Nottingham base with an Australian accent

Australians wandering through the Midlands often default to chain hotels near the train station, but a night in Nottingham's Lace Market or around the Old Market Square puts a different spin on the visit. The Approach sits close to both, and the city has breweries, music rooms and cocktail dens to fill the gaps between kick-offs. The team at the bar welcomes travelling supporters, and the wider Great Northern Inns crew keeps standards consistent across their venues.

The Approach shares a wider family with the Peaky Blinders bar in Liverpool, and fans touring between sporting weekends often compare the two. Travellers tend to find that Nottingham offers a more compact evening, while Liverpool runs longer and louder. Pairing a Test at The Approach with a stop at the Liverpool bar scene is worth thinking about if your trip stretches that way. For an Australian crowd, fitting both cities into one trip feels like the right kind of detour.

Booking the right spot for the big games

Walk-ins work for smaller fixtures, but the Lions tour is not the sort of event where you gamble on a spare stool. The Approach takes group bookings, and the front-of-house team matches larger bookings with screens that suit the party. Whether you are a Wallabies tragician flying in for the duration, a Lions supporter living in the UK or a local making a day of it with friends, locking in a slot early means you get the table — not the corridor.

The why The Approach page outlines the practical side of a booking, from set menus to group arrangements, and the team is happy to talk through screen placements for guests who care about commentary. For Australians working around the time difference, an early-arvo kick-off in the UK usually lands between late evening and the small hours at home, so settling in with pre-match coverage and a slow-cooked main can turn the late night into a stay-up session.

A weekend built around more than just eighty minutes

The Lions tour spills into the days around each Test. Pre-match analysis, post-mortems of regional managers, midweek training updates and a steady churn of social posts add to the sense that something bigger is happening. The Approach leans into that build-up with themed menus and refreshed drinks, and the team drops small touches around the bar that signal which match is on the horizon.

The wider city is well set up for a long weekend. Independent shops around Hockley, the castle and the caves, plus a steady flow of students give Nottingham a particular brand of weekend energy. Combining a Test morning at The Approach with a long lunch at a nearby market trader and an afternoon walk through the Arboretum is the kind of Saturday that justifies booking the trip out of your Sunday. For Australians, it is closer to a winter escape than a stopover.

Match-day moves for an Australian viewer at The Approach

Reserve your spot, sort your travel plans and treat the Lions tour the way it deserves — as the rarest match on the calendar.