Magic World Cup moments still ahead for pubs despite England exit

But former Wales winger and Sky Sports pundit Ieuan Evans said pubs could still see a huge boost in trade.

“There’s still plenty of reason for fans to come out and support pubs. There will be so many magic moments to come out of this yet, and you want to be there watching with your friends,” he told the PMA​.

“There are still plenty of well supported teams left in this tournament, teams for which rugby means an awful lot.”

Ireland and Wales have qualified, and Scotland still have a good chance of making the quarter-finals. Powerhouses New Zealand and Australia – who England lost 13-33 against on Saturday, are in good shape going into the knock-out rounds.

Wales have qualified due to England’s demise, but Evans doesn’t think the Welsh will take their foot off the pedal against the Aussies this Saturday.

“You’ve got to go for top spot, it makes the path relatively easier, and you want to build on the momentum,” he said.

Evans reflected on Wales’ crucial victory over Stuart Lancaster’s team.

“I’m sad the hosts are out. There are four teams in this group in the top nine in the world, so it was always going to be some challenge for any team to get through.

“England dominated in the first half but they didn’t pick a side capable of exploiting that. A match ebbs and flows. Momentum goes from one side to the other. When England were dominating Wales were kicking points. You have to be clinical. When you lose it it’s hard to wrestle that back.

“England froze. Wales had unbelievable character, cohesion and clarity,” he added.

There’s been much made of Stuart Lancaster’s future, with many suggesting he should no longer be England’s manager.

Evans continued: “Lancaster has to take responsibility. The team look confused, they lack confidence. Coming into a tournament a team needs to know exactly the game they want to play. There has to be a lesson here of how to approach a tournament.”

With England already out, appetite to watch the match against Uruguay will be low.

But pubs can try to attract customers for a weekend that’s massive for Welsh sport – the World Cup showdown with Australia kicks off at 4.45pm, leaving fans just enough time to catch their breath before the Euro Qualifier versus Bosnia-Herzegovina in the football starts at 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports.