Wales will play its Six Nations match against Scotland next month at Llanelli’s Parc y Scarlets stadium, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has confirmed.
The 14,000-seat stadium, home of Pro14 team Scarlets, will also host Wales’ first home Autumn Nations Cup clash against Georgia on November 21. Both matches are likely to be played without fans.
Wales is due to play Scotland in its rescheduled Six Nations match on October 31. The team’s usual home venue, Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, is not available after the WRU confirmed in July that the facility would be off limits for the remainder of the year as it is still being used as a hospital.
The WRU said it still has options to play Wales’ two remaining Autumn Nations Cup matches, against England on November 28 and the play-off final fixture on December 5, in London to maximise potential revenue opportunities.
WRU chief executive Steve Phillips said: “We have taken the call to play our first two home matches this autumn in Wales. Given how vital Wales games are to the funding of our sport, it was only right that every option was explored.
“Obviously more important than that is the health of supporters, players and the nation as a whole and so, whilst making contingency plans, we have of course been conscious of following government advice closely every step of the way.
“We anticipate the two games will take place behind closed doors, however, if the ‘big picture’ changes, we would be open to exploring whether either game could serve as a test event for crowds.”
Six Nations Rugby confirmed the schedule for the remaining matches of this year’s competition last month, with the tournament having been suspended back in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Ireland will face Italy on October 24 at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium in what will serve as the final fixture of Round 4, before the Italy vs England, France vs Ireland and Wales vs Scotland matches on October 31.
On the potential of staging Autumn Nations Cup matches outside of Wales, Phillips added: “We hope that supporters will understand that we are duty bound to continue to explore all options before making a final call with respect to England and the Autumn Nations Cup final match.
“We are hopeful that it will be deemed safe for at least some, perhaps socially distanced and restricted, crowds to attend these matches and also remain open to the prospect of using the Parc y Scarlets fixtures as test events with limited attendances if possible.”
Image: Nigel Davies/CC BY-SA 2.0/Edited for size
