Rugby fans could face long wait to watch Wales at home

WALES rugby fans may be facing the prospect of being unable to watch Wayne Pivac’s side in home matches before 2021, it was reported.

In an interview with Inews, First Minister Mark Drakeford conceded he did not expect mass gatherings such as sports events and concerts to resume in the country until next year.

It will be a hammer blow for Welsh rugby’s hopes of staging some international games in front of fans this autumn and attempting to recoup some of the millions of pounds in lost revenue they have already suffered.

The WRU had opened talks with officials at Cardiff City Stadium and Swansea City’s Liberty Stadium about hosting their big autumn internationals, if the Principality Stadium remained off-limits due to its transformation into the Dragon’s Heart Hospital to deal with coronavirus patients.

While all patients have now left the field hospital, it could remain on standby throughout the autumn.

Wales are due to face New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and Argentina and have to reschedule the postponed Six Nations clash with Scotland from March.

However, the bestcase scenario seems to be those matches going ahead behind closed doors.

Talking about sporting events and concerts, Mr Drakeford told Inews: “They are right at the very end of this spectrum, a long way off.

“The coronavirus crisis hit us just as the days were getting longer and just as the weather was getting better.

“The autumn will be the opposite, the days will be getting colder, shorter and damper and coronavirus likes the dark, the damp and the cold.

“We can’t possibly put ourselves in the position when we are running extra risks when the intrinsic risks of the virus may be more dangerous.”

Welsh rugby chiefs desperately need to raise some revenue, with the game here facing a £20m black hole because of the Covid-19 pandemic that threatens the very existence of the professional game.

The First Minister’s words come just a day after English rugby chief Bill Sweeney revealed he will lobby the UK Government to reduce social distancing from two metres to one, allowing 40,000 fans into Twickenham for their autumn international series.

The RFU chief reckons under the current guidelines the 82,000 capacity ground would allow less than 10,000 into the stadium and cost the Union in excess of £3m per match.

The Irish RU boss Philip Browne is reportedly ready to follow suit and press the Dublin government for a similar stance with the Aviva Stadium.

Sweeney told the Guardian: “If you are using two metres, you are talking about a four-metre distanced safe space.

“With one, it is one metre all round which has the effect of increasing capacity fourfold.

“If you use two metres in an 80,000-seater stadium and factor in traffic flow, such as someone wanting to use the toilet without going past someone and touching them, it reduces your capacity to between 9,000 and 9,500.

“I was surprised, not thinking it would be that low. With one metre, which is the World Health Organisation’s guidance, you get close to 40,000, and we would like it to come down to that by the autumn.

“We would not increase the stadium capacity at the risk of safety, nor do anything contrary to government guidelines, but we want clarity on whether the two-metre rule is absolutely essential or is one metre possible.”

Asked what the difference would be in financial terms, Sweeney replied: “It depends on who you have coming and ticket pricing. It is probably worth in the region of £3m a game and I believe we would be able to open catering facilities, as long as they were out of doors.”