The regional double-header, to be played out at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday 25 April, has already surpassed previous attendance figures with over 37,500 fans having already paid the £10 entrance fee for the four-team festival of rugby.
The inaugural Judgement Day fixture in 2013 attracted a 36,000 strong crowd, the highest to date, but new standards will be set in 2015 with the Welsh Rugby Union chairman Gareth Davies also issuing a clarion call to fans this weekend. He believes the event, which this year features Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys at 2.30pm and Newport Gwent Dragons versus the Scarlets a 4.45pm, should now go from strength to strength in the years to come.
“The players on show will be amongst the best in the UK and many of them will be desperate to show Warren Gatland they deserve selection for his Rugby World Cup squad,” said Davies.
“The rugby on show will be of the highest level and I doubt whether any other fans in the UK would be able to see so many British and Irish Lions in one stadium on one day.
“The tickets are already selling fast so there is already evidence that the concept of a day when we celebrate the strength of the Regional game in the home of Welsh rugby is working.
“This is a great opportunity for the true fans to turn out and deliver a resounding message to the rugby community that regional rugby deserves a massive following.
“The future of Welsh rugby is all about unity and the supporters have a huge role to play in making sure we remain a powerful force in sport and retain our place at the cultural heart of life in Wales.
“The Regions deserve credit for evolving and developing a level of professional rugby in Wales which is proving to be a crucial element of the pathway into our international game.
“It is still relatively early in their development following the dawn of the professional era and I applaud each of them for their commitment to Welsh rugby’s success.
“Now the real fans have a chance to show their appreciation and Judgement Day III is a perfect opportunity to make a statement.
“The WRU is working closely with the Regions to make the day a great success and that unified effort is already paying dividends.
“We are entering a new phase of the evolution of Welsh rugby and it is important we continue to show how we can all work together to keep getting stronger and stronger.
“Since becoming Chairman of the WRU I have been working hard to ensure that all our energies are focused on embracing the whole of Welsh rugby from the international level through to the grassroots and within that the professional structure is crucially important.
“I want the players who take the field on Judgement Day to leave the stadium with the noise from tens of thousands of supporters ringing in their ears.”
Tickets are available from www.wru.wales/tickets, the WRU ticket office on Westgate Street, each of the four Regions, at local Tesco stores or by calling Ticketmaster on 0844 847 1881.
