Last weekend, I was on tour in China with British Football Club Tokyo. We played so badly in the annual Shanghai Sevens tournament that I decided to give poor Shunsuke Nakamura a break in this week's column (something about the pot calling the kettle black).

One thing I noticed in Shanghai -- when I wasn't in a crumpled heap on the turf or upside down under a barstool -- was that the city has a beautiful state-of-the-art stadium smack bang in the center of town.

The 80,000-seat Shanghai Stadium is a ripsnorter of a venue, located just 20 minutes from Hong Qiao International Airport, 45 minutes from Pudong International Airport and right in the heart of Shanghai's main commercial district.