Wales take on England in Cardiff in the opening match of the RBS 6 Nations Championship, a dress rehearsal for their Rugby World Cup pool A clash next Autumn, in the most hotly anticipated game of the rugby season so far.
The countdown to kick-off will begin in earnest as gates open soon after City centre workers begin to pack up for the day, the Friday drive-time rush hour draws to a close and the buzz around Cardiff builds to a frenzy.
Fans will descend on the Welsh capital to in their tens-of-thousands as the 74,500 capacity venue readies itself for what promises to be an evening of intense drama and those with tickets are urged that the best way to get in the matchday mood is by passing through the turnstyles as soon as they possibly can.
Ticket holders will be greeted by bespoke Fan Zones on each level of the Stadium with WRU partners GUINNESS and Fosters (on level 6)Â hosting their own Zones, each with their own unique appeal.
The GUINNESS fan zone on level 4 features a Welsh Male Voice choir, a Q&A session with a Welsh legend and current Welsh player together with the chance to have your picture taken with the RBS 6 Nations trophy and a live set from the Guinness Travelling Band.
On level 6, the Fosters Fanzone provides a great area to meet and chat about the game, whilst listening to local musician and Millennium Stadium regular Tim Cronin, with both zones remaining open after the game and a selection of food and beverages, including Millennium Stadium’s full range of bottled and draft beer, hot drinks, pies, hotdogs and snacks all available to purchase.
The WRU’s in-house television channel, WRUTV, will also be playing all the latest exclusives from inside the Welsh camp on the Millennium Stadium’s big screens and some 450 flat-screen sets around the stadium from the time gates open.
And the cameras won’t miss a trick taking in the arrivals of both teams as their coaches travel down Westgate Street and drive under the Millennium Stadium’s high security Gate 4 entrance, likely to take place at around 6.30 to 6.45pm, with each team arrival staggered.
It won’t be long then before fans get first sight of their heroes as both teams venture out onto the pitch to sample the early atmosphere, with Wales coaches Warren Gatland and Rob Howley in particular in the habit of venturing out onto the field as soon as they arrive.
Both teams will soon begin their warm-ups and all the pre-match interviews will also be played out into the Millennium Stadium arena, before the first Wales v England contest of the day the coin toss at around 7.05pm
Both captains and the referee gather out of sight of the fans in the Millennium Stadium’s dressing room corridor to literally toss a coin, with the winner deciding whether to kick-off first or choose the end from which they will play – with every moment captured by WRU TV.
Once the Pontarddulais Male Voice Choir enters the pitch to begin warming up the crowd it’s practically game on with both teams coming out to warm up and make last minute preparations from 7.10pm.
By 7.50pm everyone should be in the ground and ready to raise the roof at anthem time and enjoy the game, but don’t forget to visit the GUINNESS and Fosters fanzones again after the game for that all important post-match analysis and general revelry.
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