Warren Gatland’s side prepare for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan with sizzling, home and away, match-ups against fellow Northern Hemisphere superpowers England, who arrive in Cardiff on Saturday 17th August, and Ireland, in town a fortnight later on Saturday 31st.
First up on the road to Japan this summer England host Wales at Twickenham on Sunday 11th August, but it’s the return match in Cardiff which is set to capture the imagination of Welsh supporters.
This will be the third meeting with the auld enemy of 2019 – after the sold-out Guinness Six Nations Test, due in February, in Cardiff and the Twickenham showdown – and supporters can access tickets from £20, with £10 concessions for U16s.
Tickets are also available for £30, £40, £60 and £70, with the £10 concessionary U16 category applicable to over 45,000 seats in the ground, and the Irish game follows exactly the same pricing structure.
Both matches will also see the continuation of the Welsh Rugby Union’s new Alcohol Free Zone, in its 4,200 capacity North Stand, with tickets in this area priced at £40, adults, and including the £10 concessionary rate for U16s.
Ireland’s visit will be Gatland’s final game in charge of Wales on home soil – he stands down from the role after the RWC19 campaign in Japan – and it will also be the final chance for supporters to see their rugby heroes at Principality Stadium before they head to the Pacific Ocean to face Georgia in Tokyo.
This game will also be followed by the official 31-man RWC squad announcement, before a final Test of the warm-up campaign, against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to fine-tune preparations.
“The road to Japan starts here in earnest this summer with two huge Test matches in their own right to look forward to in Cardiff,” said a WRU ticket office spokesperson.
“Our Guinness Six Nations matches with both England and Ireland this winter sold-out Principality Stadium in a matter of hours and could have done so three or four times over, so we know these are games that will whet the appetite in Wales.
“Add the Rugby World Cup factor and the jeopardy of who may or may not make those final squads to board the plane for Japan and the Under Armour Summer Series starts to look like another of those occasions in Welsh rugby history that are not to be missed.
“The matches have been also been priced in order to deliver maximum accessibility for rugby fans around Wales, with the £10 under 16s ticket available in more than 45,000 seats around the stadium.
“We are hoping for two further sold-out matches to give our Wales squad and the longest serving – and most successful – coach in the history of our game the send-off they deserve ahead of RWC 2019.”
Following the Under Armour Summer Series meetings with England and Ireland (and ‘away’ clashes) Wales’ 31-man squad will arrive in Japan on 12 September, eleven days ahead of their tournament opener against Georgia.
Wales will train at the impressive City of Kitakyushu Stadium, the same venue at which the WRU kicked off their partnership with the City with the delivery of a range of community activities recently.
After 48 matches involving 20 teams, Japan 2019 will culminate with the final on 2nd November at Yokohama Stadium.
The best way to get hold of tickets for the Under Armour Summer Series is via a WRU member club, but supporters can register to be notified of further ticket news for the fixtures by signing up at Wru.wales/signup
Wales’ 2019 Under Armour Summer Series (and ‘away’) fixtures:
(KO time and broadcast details TBC)
England v Wales (Twickenham) Sunday 11 August
Wales v England (Principality Stadium) Under Armour Summer Series, Saturday 17 August. £70, £60 (£10 U16 concession available), *£40 (£10 U16 concession available), £30, £20
Wales v Ireland (Principality Stadium), Under Armour Summer Series, Saturday 31 August. £70, £60 (£10 U16 concession available), *£40 (£10 U16 concession available), £30, £20
Ireland v Wales (Aviva Stadium) Saturday 7 September
*AFZ tickets are also in this category
Wales in Japan, RWC 2019:
Wales v Georgia – Toyota City, 23rd September, 11:15am (GMT)
Australia v Wales – Tokyo, 29th September, 8:45am (GMT)
Wales v Fiji – Oita, 9th October, 10:45am (GMT)
Wales v Uruguay – Kumamoto City, 13 October, 9:15am (GMT)
