CONFIRMED: Pro14 release details of 2018 'Judgement Day'

Judgement Day, the sixth annual regional double-header at Principality Stadium, has been confirmed for the afternoon of Saturday 28th April, the final weekend of Guinness PRO14 Championship action before the knock-out stages.

JDVI is on sale now and will be more accessible than ever before this season after a new partnership has been established for Welsh rugby with Amazon Tickets.

Prices have been frozen again at £10-per-head for any seat in the ground at the derby day which sees the Dragons take on the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues face the Ospreys in back-to-back clashes in the capital.

The partnership with Amazon – who launched Amazon Tickets in the UK in 2015 to offer customers quick and easy booking, low and all-inclusive pricing and a trusted customer experience when booking tickets to the most popular and in demand music, theatre, comedy and live events across the UK – helps to further establish Judgement Day as a key event in the UK rugby calendar
Cardiff’s Principality Stadium has had a magnificent year already, even by its own standards, with a sold-out Champions League Final and a world record indoor heavy-weight boxing crowd watching Anthony Joshua’s world title defence, just two of the highlights.

Welsh rugby is going from strength to strength too. The international side’s Under Armour Series is breaking records with two sell-outs on the cards (against New Zealand and Australia) this autumn.

There’s been healthy attendances at the four professional teams in both the Guinness PRO14 and European Rugby this season – with total attendances up by over 10,000 from the same point last season and crowds at this month’s popular Welsh derby contests also higher than last year.

Over 170,000 fans have attended Judgement Day across three years alone and a record attendance for any match involving a regional team was set in 2016 – when 68,262 watched the Ospreys beat the Blues 27-40, followed by a Scarlets’ 20-34 victory over the Dragons.

Last season Cardiff Blues triumphed over the Ospreys for the first time at the event 35-17 and the Dragons went down to their West Wales rivals a close-fought 16-21 in the second game of the day.

A major highlight of the Guinness PRO14 Championship season, Judgement Day will this year see the Scarlets and the Dragons kick off proceedings for the first time since year one (2013), on Saturday 28th April (KO 15.05hrs).

The second fixture of the day sees the Blues take on the Ospreys (KO 17.35hrs), with supporters who buy before 19th December guaranteed to receive JDVI tickets ahead of Christmas Day (make sure you choose the Christmas post option on screen on completion of purchase)

“Judgement Day has become a must-see, must-visit fixture in the Welsh sporting calendar,” said WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips. “It’s a true celebration of the very best of Welsh rugby when our international stars and their teammates come together under one roof to compete against each other in regional colours.

“It is a unique event which the players, coaches and supporters all look forward to in equal measure and we are set for another exciting day out at Principality Stadium on 28th April.”

Tickets went on sale at 11am this morning (Wednesday 1 November) and are available at Amazon tickets https://goo.gl/qsnBf9 from www.wru.wales/tickets or via each of the four regions, prices are £10 for each seat in the ground with a £1-per-ticket online booking fee, as well as postage, payable at the time of purchase.

Season ticket holders for the Cardiff Blues and the Dragons should contact their respective ticket office to gain access to JDVI.

Martin Anayi, CEO of PRO14 Rugby, said: “Judgement Day has become one of the marquee occasions in our Championship and hosting it on the final day of the season will only add to the drama it creates. These derby games mean so much to Welsh rugby fans and on top of that passionate rivalry among the regions all four teams are likely to be chasing a place in either the Guinness PRO14 Final Series or the Champions Cup Play-Off game.

“Each year we see fantastic crowds descend on Cardiff for this truly innovative event in the Guinness PRO14 and once again the WRU and the regions have rewarded fans by freezing the ticket prices at £10. That can only encourage supporters of Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets to set another attendance record for the Guinness PRO14 and what promises to be a day of excitement, tension and Test-level rugby.”

Mark Davies, Chief Executive of Pro Rugby Wales, which represents the four professional rugby teams said: “This season our double derby day at the national stadium will be the finale to the conference stages of the Guinness PRO14, so it will be an even bigger occasion for our rugby teams, players and supporters.

“The Judgement Day games will have so much on them with Guinness PRO14 Final series places or European Champions Cup play-off places potentially at stake – so critical for our teams and will be highly competitive rugby fixtures. Once again we are looking forward to this successful rugby spectacle in the capital which attracts wider audiences and one we are all proud to be a part of in partnership.”

Cardiff Blues coach, Danny Wilson said: “Derby matches are always the games we all look forward to in a season, but to finish the Guinness PRO14 fixtures with Judgement Day will be particularly exciting for all involved.”

Dragons coach Bernard Jackman, said: “It will be my first Judgement Day event, but I’ve heard great things. There is obviously a lot of rugby to be played between now and then but it’s an event we are all looking forward to.”