Welsh and Irish rugby supporters visiting Cardiff on the opening weekend of the Six Nations can make the most of a fantastic ticket offer. Supporters who show their Wales v Ireland ticket can purchase a terrace ticket for the Cardiff Blues v London Irish match, Friday 1 February 7.30pm kick off, for the discounted price of just £10. Tickets can be purchased at the Cardiff Blues Ticket Office, situated opposite the Angel Hotel or by calling 029 20 30 20 30.
Young supporters can also come along to cheer on their team at the bargain price of only £1 for those aged 16 and under, while students can come to watch the game for only £5.
There will also be plenty of activities off the pitch with live music, player signings and face painting in the Heineken Fan Zone. With a number of bars our Heineken Fan Zone opens 90 minutes before kick off and remains open an hour after the final whistle.
Speaking ahead of the game, Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby, Phil Davies, said,
“We can expect a tough challenge from London Irish as they have a big pack. They like to attack from their kicks and like to change direction after a few phases. They’re a clever team with a good scrum and lineout. They will be a threat for us but we haven’t been outgunned by anyone this year. We fronted up against Sarries last week and we need to front up again tomorrow.
“We need to make sure we manage our kicking game, as we did last week, where we had 64% territory advantage and 54% possession advantage. That was pleasing and we just need to do that again this week. It’s going to be a tough game, but one I’m sure we can win. As we continue to develop I’m sure the results will start coming. Even now we’re starting to get some good wins under our belt. This is a very exciting group of players to be involved with, who will get better and better.
“The supporters have been great this season, even though it’s been hard at times and I’d like to think the players have been giving it their all. I think the crowd has appreciated that. It’s important that the fans stick by us, as they have all year, and give us plenty of support on Friday night. Hopefully we will get the weekend off to a good result which won’t be the only Welsh win against the Irish.”
15. Jason Tovey 14. Owen Williams 13. Gavin Evans (c ) 12. Dafydd Hewitt 11. Harry Robinson 10. Rhys Patchell 9. Alex Walker
8. Robin Copeland 7. Thomas Young 6. Michael Paterson 5. James Down 4. Cory Hill 3. Benoit Bourrust 2. Rhys Williams 1. Nathan Trevett
16. Kristian Dacey 17. Sam Hobbs 18. Taufa’ao Filise 19. Luke Hamilton 20. Rory Watts-Jones 21 Lewis Jones 22. Ceri Sweeney 23. Chris Czekaj
Not available for selection:
Andi Kyriacou- Neck operation return in April
Dan Fish- Suffered shoulder nerve palsy in match against Zebre. Return mid February
Tom James- Fractured sesamoid (big toe). Surgery to remove pin on Wednesday 5thDecember, return in late February.
LONG TERM
Jake Copper- Woolley- right knee ACL injury 4 months
Tom Davies- ACL knee reconstruction this week, 4 months
WALES SQUAD:
FORWARDS: Scott Andrews (Blues) Lou Reed (Blues), Josh Navidi (Blues) Sam Warburton (Blues) Andries Pretorius (Blues)
BACKS: Lloyd Williams (Blues) Jamie Roberts (Blues) Alex Cuthbert (Blues) Leigh Halfpenny (Blues)