The Rugby Football Union has rejected pleas to establish alcohol free zones in the stands at Twickenham to combat an ugly drinking culture.

The organisation has told Nub News that it believes introducing new controls on drinking – as has been done by their counterparts in Wales – could cause more problems than it solves.

The former England coach, Sir Clive Woodward, recently turned the spotlight on heavy drinking at matches, arguing it was ruining the match day experience for many.

He complained Twickenham has become the 'world's biggest pub' with the RFU more interested in the revenue generated from drink sales than people being able to enjoy the game.

Apart from the resulting drunkenness, Sir Clive and fans complained that fans wanting to watch the action are missing out because others are making repeated trips to the bars, returning laden down with beer.

Fans are constantly having to get up and down while many find beer is being tipped over them as increasingly inebriated people juggle their plastic pint glasses.

Writing in the Daily Mail about the recent England v Scotland game, Sir Clive said: "I was amazed to see thousands and thousands of supporters still queuing at the bar rather than sitting in their seats ready for kick-off.

"My friends and family were at the match. They were surrounded by people who were more concerned with drinking than the rugby. They were up and down throughout the game. Each time they returned, they were carrying eight pints each.

"The RFU need to look at it before trouble breaks out, especially when some are paying nearly £200 for a ticket."

In Wales, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has stopped selling stronger larger and closed bars at the Principality Stadium during the second half of games. The WRU was also the first union in world rugby to introduce an alcohol-free zone - a 4,200-seated area in the north stand.

However, the Twickenham authorities ruled out following suit. An RFU spokesperson said: "We carefully monitor the sale of alcohol in other venues and the impact of zoning and bar closures.

"This insight demonstrates bar closures can lead to other behaviours such as extensive pre-drinking prior to kick-off and at half time and late arrivals causing disruption to the start of a game as well as crowding on departure and dissatisfaction from those in alcohol free zones they weren't expecting.

"Given the size of Twickenham Stadium, and limited time between breaks in play, it would not be practical or safe to operate a no entry/exit from seats policy during a game. 

"To understand the views of fans we conduct surveys after each game about their experience and this insight is used to inform all future stadium developments and experiences. 

"We will also continue to work with our partners to promote responsible drinking, we serve low alcohol and alcohol-free drinks throughout the venue, and provide a confidential helpline to anyone requiring any assistance in the stadium."

The RFU added: "We know the full match day experience is very important to fans, which is why we continue to evolve the wider Twickenham event day experiences including music and entertainment before, during and after the game.

"All revenues generated by international fixtures get re-invested to support community and professional rugby which is why we work hard to ensure we maintain such high demand for tickets."