**Welsh Rugby’s Judgement Day Shelved for Next Season Amid Uncertainty and Low Crowds**
In a significant development for Welsh rugby fans, the iconic Judgement Day double-header event will not take place next season. Welsh rugby’s Professional Rugby Board (PRB) confirmed the hiatus as the United Rugby Championship (URC) revealed its fixture list for the upcoming campaign, marking an end to more than a decade of the annual showpiece – at least for now.
The decision comes after the most recent Judgement Day, held at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in April, saw the lowest attendance in the event’s history. Just 28,328 spectators were present, a stark contrast to previous years when crowds often exceeded 60,000 during its 2016–2018 heyday. This declining interest has led Wales’ rugby authorities to question the event’s viability in an increasingly congested fixture calendar.
A PRB spokesperson addressed the situation, acknowledging the event’s initial popularity and cultural significance, but emphasised the need for a strategic reset. “We will rethink the product we are offering and bring back an event to showcase Welsh professional rugby in the future,” the board stated. The spokesperson added, “The concept has huge potential and its early incarnations were a proven success, but we think it is time to re-imagine it.”
Instead of the familiar stadium spectacle, this season will see a shift in focus towards boosting attendances at individual derby matches and other big fixtures hosted at each Welsh region’s home ground. Rugby bosses hope that nurturing regional pride and creating intense local derbies could revive passion amongst supporters and fill the stands once more.
The end of Judgement Day, at least temporarily, also coincides with a turbulent period for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The governing body has recently signalled its intention to overhaul the structure of the domestic game, with the prospect of reducing the country’s four professional regions to just three. Talks over a new Professional Rugby Agreement broke down, particularly after the Scarlets and Ospreys declined to sign up, adding further uncertainty to the landscape.
Despite the dwindling numbers at recent Judgement Days – last year’s iteration at Cardiff City Stadium attracted just 20,167 fans – the appetite for a large-scale celebration of Welsh rugby remains strong in some quarters. Scarlets captain Josh Macleod remarked after this year’s event, “It is always a special occasion. This was the first time in a while we had three sides battling it out for a top-eight place and play-offs. It is vital for Welsh rugby to have a spectacle like this with four sides going against each other in back-to-back games. We need to get fans through the door. This is one way we can do it.”
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones echoed these sentiments, praising the unifying effect that Judgement Day has had on the Welsh rugby community, and suggesting that future incarnations might need a creative approach to ticketing and marketing. “The concept is the right one,” Jones said, stressing the importance of bringing supporters together at a major venue like the Principality Stadium. He added, “We need to work out how we get 60,000 in there like we used to, that’s the challenge… At some point, we have to get people back in love with Welsh rugby.”
The Judgement Day experiment has not always followed a single pattern. Previous pandemic-induced editions saw Welsh derbies played at Rodney Parade in empty stadiums, and the event has jumped between the Principality Stadium and Cardiff City Stadium over the past decade, adapting to restrictions and logistical challenges.
The WRU’s leadership has indicated that Judgement Day may make a return in another guise down the line. Until then, the regional game stands at a crossroads, contemplating bold structural changes and searching for the right formula to re-energise Welsh rugby’s loyal but restless supporter base.
Meanwhile, next season offers a new twist, as the Bristol Bears are set to once again stage a high-profile Gallagher Premiership fixture at the Principality Stadium. Last season, over 50,000 fans turned out for the Bears’ clash against Bath, demonstrating there remains an appetite for large-scale rugby occasions in Cardiff – even if, for now, they come from across the border rather than domestic rivalries.
As the dust settles, stakeholders across Welsh rugby will be weighing up lessons learned from Judgement Day’s successes and shortcomings, as they look to map a compelling future for the game in Wales.