PLANS to switch Wales’s home Six Nations

matches to England — first revealed by Sportsmail — were at an ‘advanced stage’, insiders have disclosed. The prospect of playing on enemy turf, albeit stomached while the Millennium Stadium was being built, is believed to have helped persuade First Minister Mark Drakeford to relent on his Covid restrictions which included allowing only 50 people to attend open air events, although he insisted external pressures did not force his hand. Should they have remained in place, the WRU would have missed out on around £5million.

Even now, they face a race against time to sell tickets for the games against Scotland, France and Italy. Meanwhile, more than 1,100 Swansea City fans, starved of action, made the long journey to see their side draw 1-1 at Huddersfield Town on Saturday, albeit with entry reduced to £5.