Wales hit £13m in record ticket sales

WALES have banked around £13m in record ticket sales for their Six Nations home matches against England and Ireland.

The Cardiff fixtures have smashed all box-office records.

A near 15 per cent hike in admission charges, with the most expensive soaring to £110, means that the WRU will generate at least £1m more in ticket money per match than last season.

Some fans have put their tickets on sale via the WRU’s official re-sale agency, Seatwave, at up to £1,062 per seat.

England has always been the must-see game for Welsh fans. Ireland’s success has put them in the same box-office bracket and demand to see both matches will reinforce the belief that Wales could double prices and still fill the Principality Stadium.

The WRU have been accused of putting internationals beyond the reach of some with increases amounting to almost 40 per cent in six years, but they point out that their prices are still competitive compared to other countries.

England, who filled Twickenham against the All Blacks in November with best seats costing an all-time high of £195, have a top price of £165 for the home matches against France and Scotland, dropping to £122 for Italy.

Ireland, with 23,000 fewer seats at the Aviva Stadium than its Cardiff equivalent, have a top price of £133. Some tickets are available for the opening match against England on February 2 at more than £1,300.

The best seats in Paris cost £122, at Murrayfield £117. Wales, riding the crest of a nine-match winning streak, sold out both Six Nations’ home fixtures without needing to put a single ticket on public sale.

“Our 320 member clubs are given first refusal on all international matches at the Principality Stadium, outside debenture holders and official partners,’’ a WRU spokesman said. “Any remaining tickets are offered to supporters’ club members.”

Wales, resigned to being without Leigh Halfpenny until the England match on February 23, at the earliest, will decide this week whether Ross Moriarty has any chance of being fit in time for the start in Paris.

Like Halfpenny a victim of concussion, the Dragons’ No. 8 is back in full training hoping to be cleared for a PRO14 return against Munster at Rodney Parade on Saturday.