This Saturday will see Wembley open its doors to up to 80,000 rugby fans. The new stadium had better get used to it.

Rugby has made great strides over the last fifteen years and Saturday’s Guinness Premiership match at Wembley between Saracens and Harlequins is an example of the game’s continuing evolution and adaptability.

Rugby games at national stadiums were once the preserve of national teams. But thanks to an enterprising Frenchman, the concept of club teams only ever playing at small stadiums has been permanently consigned to the sin bin.

In 2005 Max Guazzini, President of French rugby club Stade Français, organised for his club to play rivals Stade Toulousain at the national stadium, the Stade de France. The game was a run-of-the-mill league match but the final result was extraordinary. 79,502 fans turned up to watch the game, breaking the then attendance record for a league game by 20,000. A year later the experiment was reproduced with 79, 604 fans lending their support. Three years on and Guazzini’s experiment is now an institution – complete with exotic pre-match entertainment – with Stade Francais playing at least two league games a season at the national stadium.

In 2009 the idea spread across the Channel and at the start of this season Saracens booked Wembley and invited Northampton Saints to play at the national stadium. The score was close (19-16 to the London side) but of much more interest was the final crowd figure. An astonishing 44,832 fans watched the game – 25,000 more than Saracens’ previous attendance best.

The precedent was set. Saracens have since returned to Wembley twice – once to play Worcester Warriors in front of another 40,000+ crowd and a friendly against South Africa. Saturday’s match-up against Harlequins promises to be the biggest of the lot.

On top of what is sure to be an exciting game, Saracens have promised a scintillating pre-match entertainment package. Tightrope-walker Jade Kindar-Martin will perform a death-defying walk along a rope suspended between the north and south stands while live performances from Right Said Fred and West End show ‘War Horse’ will complete the show. In addition, one spectator will get their chance to win £250,000 in a half-time kicking competition.

Rugby has come a long way since turning professional in 1995. Saturday’s game gives us a glimpse in to what the next fifteen years might hold for the sport.