Regional rugby’s annual Principality Stadium – all

Rugby correspondent SIMON THOMAS answers all the key questions, as he looks back at the history of the event and gives the lowdown on this weekend’s action

So, what is Judgement Day? Well, for the uninitiated, it’s a Welsh derby double-header involving the four regional teams in back-to-back encounters at the Principality Stadium.

It was introduced in a bid to replicate the success of the Twickenham double-header which kicks off the Aviva Premiership season.

WRU chiefs had been keen on the idea for the while and when Cardiff Blues and the Dragons agreed to come on board by giving up their home derby fixtures, it was born. The event is now into its fifth year, hence Judgement Day V. Has it been a success? Well, it’s had its ups and down. The event made a promising enough start, with 36,174 turning out for the inaugural double-header in March 2013.

But the following year the attendance dropped to 30,441, amid the backdrop of the civil war between the WRU and the four regions, while scheduling the games for Easter Sunday didn’t help.

It looked as though that might be the end of the venture, with the WRU informing the regions the original four-year deal no longer stood, with the Participation Agreement having expired.

But eventually a fresh deal was struck and new life was breathed into the event.

The third Judgement Day saw crowd figures leap up to 52,762, a record PRO12 attendance.

And last year, it hit new heights, with a remarkable 68,262 turn-out, the highest ever figure for an occasion involving a Welsh region.

The rugby didn’t disappoint either, with the two matches serving up 14 tries and 121 points.

This weekend, a crowd of 60,000-plus is again expected for the fifth incarnation of the event. So, why has it really taken off in recent years? Well, one factor above all has drawn in the crowds – the ticket price.

The decision to make it £10 a head for the 2015 revamp and stick with that costing has paid off big time.

By any standards, that’s remarkably good value for two matches, with a host of Wales stars on duty, and it has seen people flock to the stadium in their thousands.

A study of the spread of ticket sales for last year showed just how diverse the audience was.

You had people coming from far and wide for the day, travelling from Norfolk, the north and all parts of the rugby compass.

The event has captured the imagination, not just inside Wales, but outside of it as well, with a weekend in Cardiff having an obvious appeal!

It has become a really big attraction, drawing in groups who would not normally attend games down here.

What has also been helped is the improved relations between the WRU and the regions.

Back in 2014, things got so bad that the official media day for the event ended up being staged at Cardiff Castle rather than the Millennium because the regions couldn’t face the prospect of stepping on to Union turf, such was the bitterness of the dispute.

There was also an element of some supporters turning their back on the double-header because they didn’t want to put money into the coffers of the WRU, who were seen as the enemy at the time.

With peace having broken out and new personnel at the helm, there is now a different atmosphere, with the Union and the regions working together to promote the event. So, who is playing whom this weekend? As has been the case every year, we’ve got two East v West clashes.

Once again, it’s Cardiff Blues taking on the Ospreys in the opening game, with a 2.45pm kick-off.

Then, at 5.15pm, the Dragons face the Scarlets in the second match of the day at the stadium. Has it always been the same fixtures on Judgement Day? It has varied over the years.

In 2014, it was Cardiff Blues v Scarlets and Dragons v Ospreys. But that was to prove a one-off. Every other year, it’s been BluesOspreys and Dragons-Scarlets, as is the case once more this time around, and generally that’s the order they have been played in. Why is it always the Blues and the Dragons who give up their home fixtures for Judgement Day? Well, that’s a pretty easy one to answer... they are the only ones who are willing to do so.

The two west Walian sides - the Scarlets and the Ospreys - are not prepared to switch home derbies to Cardiff.

Their argument has tended to be it would disadvantage their supporters too much, in terms of travelling.