Wales face Ireland on Saturday 8th August, Kick-off 2.30pm and tickets starting at £20, with £10 concessions, will ensure fans don’t miss a single moment of head coach Warren Gatland’s Rugby World Cup build up.
Gatland will name his extended training squad in early June and the first opportunity to find out if the squad’s meticulous RWC preparations – which include training camps in Qatar and Fiesch in July – have paid off in a match environment will be on home turf against the Irish.
“The booking fees have been waived on all ticket purchases for the matches, against Ireland and Italy in the Dove Men Tests this summer, for the first week of public sale via our website,” said a Welsh Rugby Union spokesperson.
“Over 50 per cent of all tickets available across the two games also fall into the lowest price category of £20, with a £10 concession for children, making these international matches more accessible than ever.
“We also have some excellent group offers available with ten per cent off orders over ten tickets or more, two adults free with every eight concession tickets bought and a family ticket for just £50 opening up the opportunity for anyone who wants to see Wales’ world cup squad in action at the Millennium Stadium ahead of world rugby’s showpiece event in September.”
After training at altitude in Fiesch, Switzerland in July and travelling to the extreme heat and hypoxic sleeping chambers of a Qatar training camp, Gatland is likely to use the clash with Ireland to fine-tune his selection thinking as well as measure progress before trimming his squad at the end of August.
First his squad travels to North Wales for another training camp at Parc Eirias before returning to the familiar surroundings of a return to Spala, Poland, the scene of the bulk of their 2011 RWC preparation, for eight days.
Then Gatland must name his final 31-man RWC squad for the 2015 tournament in England by Monday 31st August, just days before his side faces Italy in the second of the Dove Men Tests on Saturday 5th September at the Millennium Stadium, Kick-off 5.00pm.
The Azzurri will provide the final test for Wales before rugby’s showpiece tournament kicks-off for them with a home clash against Uraguay a fortnight later and is a genuine opportunity for those who can’t lay their hands on RWC tickets to watch their heroes in action
Selection for the RWC squad is expected to be closely contested with Gatland admitting recently that the door is open for players to make a late run for inclusion: “We have been planning in earnest for this World Cup for some time now, but there are some things you cannot plan for,” he said.
“The regions are approaching the business end of the season and when we name our preliminary RWC squad in June form is going to be a major factor in our decision making process.
“We have a good idea of what our best team is at the moment and we have been really happy with the players in the Six Nations and particularly with the performance against Italy in that final weekend when they did everything that was asked of them.
“But there are always players that time it right and come into consideration at World Cup time when form becomes an incredibly important factor.
“You only have to look at the Sam Warburton who was named captain ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup after Matthew Rees missed out through injury and the partnership formed with Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau in the back row, to see that.
“The door is open for someone to not only play themselves into the squad but even into the starting line-up.”
Tickets are available from here, by calling Ticketmaster on 0844 847 1881, in person from the WRU Ticket Office on Westgate Street or your local club. One week booking fee holiday applies to the WRU website.
Group offers include: 10% off orders over 10 tickets or more, Family package for £50 (2 adult, 2 U16’s), 2 adults free when 8 concessions are purchased.
Dove Men Tests:
Wales v Ireland, Millennium Stadium, Saturday 8th August, Kick-off 2.30pm, priced at £50, £35 and £20 (£10 under 16 concessions)
Wales v Italy, Millennium Stadium, Saturday 5th September, Kick-off 5.00pm, priced at £35 and £20 (£10 under 16 concessions)
