More showpiece rugby could be on the agenda
WELSH regional chiefs are looking into staging more Judgement Day-style big events on the back of the huge success of this weekend’s Principality Stadium double-header.
Close on 65,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday’s back-toback bonanza, when Cardiff Blues meet the Ospreys and the Dragons take on the Scarlets.
Now discussions are underway about putting on more showpiece events from next season.
One idea would be staging Welsh-Irish double-headers at the Liberty Stadium or the Principality.
Another option would be a second Judgement Day event in Cardiff featuring all four Welsh regions, possibly at the start of the season.
“What is clear is we need to find a way to construct our season to have more big occasions, however we do it,” said Pro Rugby Wales chief executive Mark Davies.
“We have started to have chats because of the sheer scale of the success of this event.”
Asked whether it would be a possibility for a second Judgement Day to take place with the Scarlets and Ospreys sacrificing a home match, Davies added: “We’ve started to have those chats.
“The difficulty for the clubs down west is each of them have 4,000 to 6,000 season ticket holders travelling here and back and you’re adding another £50 in cost.
“So how do you do that without disadvantaging the season ticket holder?
“It’s more to do with considering the customer than anything else.
“I think the guys at Scarlets and Ospreys have spoken about whether it is feasible to hold this at the Liberty.”
More Judgement Day build-up: Pages 40-43