WRU says Wales will not host Friday night games for two years

Oh well, it's about time, other unions can now take the burden. I do think it's unfair that we have had to put up with this for the last 8 years. I am also glad that the WRU are finally listening to the Welsh public. Time for somebody else to have a go. Trouble is, I bet the return fixtures will involve us like it did when we played France in Paris on a Friday night.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/39274041

I'd be all over Murrayfield hosting a friday night game. Take Friday off work, spend all day in the boozer, match at night sounds amazing.

Has Cardiff Airport offered to host them yet?

I'd echo that I'd love to see the games shared round more. Granted I only get a game every couple of years or so so don't often have to go through the rush if you don't take the day off or the hassle of getting there but I love night games. Different atmosphere in football and I would expect a similar thing in rugby and the 6 nations; anyone been on here?

I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

Cumbrian wrote:I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

Sunday games just lack atmosphere IMO, the Friday night benefits from that Friday feeling wheras sunday everyone has an eye on work/the forum on monday morning

Cumbrian wrote:I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

With Friday night traffic around there, start your journey at least 24 hours before, and allow another 24 hours to get home.

The atmosphere and the game in itself is not the problem. The problems are getting in and out of Cardiff.

You try getting into Cardiff during rush hour, lets not forget around 4-5pm everybody is trying to get home from work, then trying to get the train home, the game finishes at about 10pm, then it's a mad rush to the train/bus station to make sure you are allowed on to get home before they are all filled up.

LondonTiger wrote:

Cumbrian wrote:I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

With Friday night traffic around there, start your journey at least 24 hours before, and allow another 24 hours to get home.

This, 100%.

Cardiff is a nightmare when you have a Friday night game, as I would assume, would every other city would be.

LondonTiger wrote:

Cumbrian wrote:I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

With Friday night traffic around there, start your journey at least 24 hours before, and allow another 24 hours to get home.

Who drives? Train and shuttle bus is better option imo.

Scottrf wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:

Cumbrian wrote:I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

With Friday night traffic around there, start your journey at least 24 hours before, and allow another 24 hours to get home.

Who drives? Train and shuttle bus is better option imo.

Train out of Twickenham at 10pm - not many people able to get home via that route as follow on services would have finished.

LondonTiger wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:

Cumbrian wrote:I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

With Friday night traffic around there, start your journey at least 24 hours before, and allow another 24 hours to get home.

Who drives? Train and shuttle bus is better option imo.

Train out of Twickenham at 10pm - not many people able to get home via that route as follow on services would have finished.

Fair enough, guess I'm used to going in the afternoon. Actually thought Cardiff was pretty well organised after Friday night match in the world cup (NZ vs Georgia).

Twickenham was OK for the Friday night match in RWC against Fiji, but RFU had been working with all the rail providers for about 3 years to ensure services ran. Works for a one off thing.

Not been to a night game in Cardiff - and if I go there I usually stay the night. Trying to get out after the Munster/Biarritz game (2005?) was rather manic - but a long time ago.

LondonTiger wrote:

Cumbrian wrote:I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

With Friday night traffic around there, start your journey at least 24 hours before, and allow another 24 hours to get home.

Getting away at the end wouldn't be so bad, at about 10 pm, but getting to Twickenham for early Friday evening would best be achieved by helicopter or teleportation. Even the trains will be a mare (peak commuting trains out from London)

Always moaning aren't they, Friday Night has to be better than Sunday afternoon.

TightHEAD wrote:Always moaning aren't they, Friday Night has to be better than Sunday afternoon.

Fine, so just share it out.

The WRU wanted Friday night fixtures!

moan moan moan......Roof open, roof shut..........!

Why were there so many Friday night fixtures anyway - cant have been random selection.
Did the WRU initiate the idea?
I am sure that I read in an article that the WRU said that it was a financial success so was that the initial driver?

I know in the Aviva Prem that the teams most likely to be playing on a Friday night was Newcastle and Sale......I just assumed that it was to avoid clashes with local Footie games.

Early evening games at HQ that I have been to generally have a great atmosphere - would be happy to watch a few Friday night games there. But I am relatively local, so commute isn't that much of an issue.

I've been to many Friday night games at the MS that were not 6 nations games.

It was their choice, just don't understand why people are asking for other nations to share the burden? Strange post.

Why ban Friday night games for 2 years? 

Why not say no more Friday night games full stop.

majesticimperialman wrote:Why ban Friday night games for 2 years? 

Why not say no more Friday night games full stop.

Because a significant amount of fans prefer them to Sunday games.

Sunday games are absolutely rank IMO.

propdavid_london wrote:I know in the Aviva Prem that the teams most likely to be playing on a Friday night was Newcastle and Sale......I just assumed that it was to avoid clashes with local Footie games.

No, it's financial incentives from TV. I assume similar for Wales.

Part of the finacial pressure is from TV wanting to avoid the prime Saturday afternoon clashes.

Good on the WRU either way for making a stand, potentially at cost to themselves. The traffic chaos it causes is pretty horrendous. Although I do wonder why quite so many Wales fans seem to live in England.

Why are they always the victims?

They wanted them, so they got Friday night games.

TightHEAD wrote:Why are they always the victims?  

They wanted them, so they got Friday night games.

Who is "they" ?

WRU.

BBC wanted Friday night games as its good viewing figures. WRU said they'd give it a go. Fans have complained as its a nightmare commute. WRU has listened and has said no more, thanks, even though attendances (and therefore revenue) was good. Good on them.

If the BBC want to persist then just ask the other unions to hold 1 per 6n. On a rota basis perhaps. That would do it.

How is this down to the BBC, what about Friday night games when they have played the likes of Canada, Samoa etc?

TightHEAD wrote:How is this down to the BBC, what about Friday night games when they have played the likes of Canada, Samoa etc?

It's down to the BBC because, on this occasion, it was down to the BBC.

says who?

The BBC.

Who do you think sets the kick off times? The referees?!

Griff wrote:BBC wanted Friday night games as its good viewing figures. WRU said they'd give it a go. Fans have complained as its a nightmare commute. WRU has listened and has said no more, thanks, even though attendances (and therefore revenue) was good. Good on them.

If the BBC want to persist then just ask the other unions to hold 1 per 6n. On a rota basis perhaps. That would do it.

Exactly.

The fans have never wanted Friday night games. Roger Lewis went after the £££££'s instead of looking after the fans. Also, as a rugby mad country, everyone knows that the MS will always sell out for a 6N game. We were the guinea pigs of this experiment. Now we have a union that is listening to the fans, and long may it continue.

It would be interesting to see the attendances for a game at Murrayfield or Twickenham for a for a Friday night game.

I'm sure they'd sell out, LD.

But Wales host games at the MS on Friday nights that are not 6 nations games, no one has made them do them, they choose to play on a Friday night.

Why are they implying they have been burdened with them and other Unions have to do their share when it was their choice to host them?

LordDowlais wrote:Exactly.

The fans have never wanted Friday night games. Roger Lewis went after the £££££'s instead of looking after the fans. Also, as a rugby mad country, everyone knows that the MS will always sell out for a 6N game. We were the guinea pigs of this experiment. Now we have a union that is listening to the fans, and long may it continue.

It would be interesting to see the attendances for a game at Murrayfield or Twickenham for a for a Friday night game.

If they are selling well, who are buying the tickets if not the fans? To say fans don't want Friday games, the evidence would have to be that they weren't turning up.

Must admit.....Friday night games are great to watch on the TV in a pub or at home...Sorry to the people that are lucky enough to get tickets that struggle to get to the stadium. But I can see why TV companies want them.

Why the siege mentality about Friday fixtures?

The WRU wanted them?

TightHEAD wrote:But Wales host games at the MS on Friday nights that are not 6 nations games, no one has made them do them, they choose to play on a Friday night.

Why are they implying they have been burdened with them and other Unions have to do their share when it was their choice to host them?

Games against Fiji and Samoa or Canada never sell out on a Friday night. 6N are a little different, as not only do people go to the game, but you have countless more thousands of people who descend on Cardiff for the atmosphere and the party of a 6N game. The 6N is almost like a national holiday here in Wales.

Cumbrian wrote:I wouldn't mind a Friday night game at Twickenham, much better than Sunday games IMO.

Agreed. I quite like the excitement of the week coming to an end knowing there's 6N at the end of it. For me this is heightened when there's a game on the Friday Night itself. I love Saturday games because you can have a few beers afterwards without the impending doom of work the next day, and you also get Sunday to pore over highlights and digest the games. Sunday games are always a bit anti climactic for me.

Fans love them or they wouldn't turn up.

Best thing to happen to the 6 nations in years

LordDowlais wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:But Wales host games at the MS on Friday nights that are not 6 nations games, no one has made them do them, they choose to play on a Friday night.

Why are they implying they have been burdened with them and other Unions have to do their share when it was their choice to host them?

Games against Fiji and Samoa or Canada never sell out on a Friday night. 6N are a little different, as not only do people go to the game, but you have countless more thousands of people who descend on Cardiff for the atmosphere and the party of a 6N game. The 6N is almost like a national holiday here in Wales.

That's a good thing surely?

TightHEAD wrote:Fans love them or they wouldn't turn up.

Best thing to happen to the 6 nations in years

Fine. So do not worry when it's Englands turn to host a Friday night game, for 8 years on the trot.

WRU agree to trial them. We didn't seek them out or put pressure on the BBC to move games to Friday.

Twickenham always sells out, even Scotland have 3 full houses this time around, but pretty much always sell out for everyone bar Italy in any case.

It won't make any difference in attendance but it spreads the TV load over the whole weekend, which most fans who don't go to games would prefer.

Twickenham because of the logistics of getting there would be an issue on a Friday evening but most of the other stadia are a lot nearer to city centres in any case.

I am all for it and don't see why it should not be rotated, even to Twickers. It is not as if it is going to be for every match.

LordDowlais wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Fans love them or they wouldn't turn up.

Best thing to happen to the 6 nations in years

Fine. So do not worry when it's Englands turn to host a Friday night game, for 8 years on the trot.

Bring it on, we've all got to move with the times and grow our game to a wider audience.

Not sure why the WRU think they have failed when every game was a sell out?

TightHEAD wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Fans love them or they wouldn't turn up.

Best thing to happen to the 6 nations in years

Fine. So do not worry when it's Englands turn to host a Friday night game, for 8 years on the trot.

Bring it on, we've all got to move with the times and grow our game to a wider audience.

Not sure why the WRU think they have failed when every game was a sell out?

You know the reasons. You're just deliberately wumming on the topic, as per.

So I'm no longer allowed an opinion just incase someone thinks its wumming, what ever that is?

TightHEAD wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Fans love them or they wouldn't turn up.

Best thing to happen to the 6 nations in years

Fine. So do not worry when it's Englands turn to host a Friday night game, for 8 years on the trot.

Bring it on, we've all got to move with the times and grow our game to a wider audience.

'The Rugby Football Union has confirmed it will not be staging Friday night England matches at Twickenham.

'The RFU will continue to resist pressure from Six Nations Ltd to follow in the footsteps of Wales by hosting games at a slot that is popular with broadcasters.

"You keep pushing the door and eventually the door will open. Would I like more Fridays? Yes. Will I get them? Probably, in time, but it will take time," Six Nations Ltd chief executive John Feehan told The Times.

'Twickenham staged a Friday night match during the 2015 World Cup -- England's tournament opener against Fiji -- but the RFU views the global showpiece as a one-off event.

"Our position hasn't changed. We don't generally support Friday night matches at Twickenham for a variety of reasons, not least the challenges our fans have getting to and from the match," an RFU spokesperson said.'

http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/18870904/rugby-football-union-rules-staging-friday-night-england-matches-twickenham

If they dangle a big enough carrot Unions will do it, maybe the WRU wanted more £££££s out of the deal.