Paddington pubs braced for rugby trade

By Clyde Mooney – editor Australian Hotelier

Rugby fans will converge on the Sydney suburb of Paddington this weekend as part of the long-awaited clash between the British and Irish Lions and the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night. 

The Paddington Pub Precinct (PPP) is staging rugby-focused events including lunches, dinners and celebrations pre- and post-match. 

A spokesperson for the PPP told TheShout the tour is expected to attract more local and international fans than ever before, after 25,000 Lions supporters made their way to Australia in 2001.

"Unlike any other major sporting brand in the world, the Lions never play on home soil; they are assembled only for offshore tours, so fans follow the Lions in droves every four years to watch them play," she said.

Nine pubs make up the Paddington Pub Precinct: Imperial Hotel, Paddington Arms, Grand National, Royal At Five Ways, Bellevue Hotel, Paddington Inn, Light Brigade, London Hotel and the Olympic.