Only Men Aloud to open NatWest 6 Nations opener, plus class of 2010!

Only Four Men Aloud will provide pre-match entertainment at Wales’ NatWest 6 Nations opening clash with Scotland on Saturday – as Stadium bosses take early arrival incentives up a notch.

Enhanced security measures are in place at Principality Stadium which means 74,500 supporters must pass through turnstiles in a three hour period – from gates opening at 11.15am – and, put simply, around half that number must be seated in the first 90 minutes of opening in order to ensure everyone gets in for kick-off.

Supporters have decided, via an online poll, that the classic match played out ‘as-live’ on the big screens and concourses from first arrival on Saturday morning will be the game pundits called ‘…the greatest comeback in Welsh rugby history’ – Wales’ dramatic 31-24 victory over Scotland in the 2010 Championship.

And, once Shane Williams has completed a Welsh fightback from 10 points down with 75 minutes on the clock – courtesy of a Stephen Jones cross kick, a fortunate bounce and Leigh Halfpenny’s safe hands – OMA singers make their return to Cardiff for the first time since playing at the UEFA Champions League final in 2017.

Only Men Aloud’s David Fortey, Steffan Rhys Hughes, Niall Allen and Huw Euron have the task of following Shane and the 2010 side soon after midday and will sing classic songs from U2, Tears for Fears and John Farnum as well as favourite rugby hymns and a unique nod to Welsh music royalty Tom Jones.

Entertainment on Stadium concourses has also been ramped up with Merthyr singer/songwriter Jack Mason, Rhondda band The Pitchforks and South-Wales indie-folk band Ofelia all performing.

The usual guest choirs will also feature during the day too with the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir and Côr y Penrhyn taking centre stage alongside the Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh.

“To allow for the increased security checks, we have doubled the amount of time that the stadium is open prior to kick-off, from 90 minutes to three hours, and broadcast this message as widely as possible,” said Principality Stadium manager Mark Williams. “We have worked things out to the finest detail, we know we can get everyone in safely and securely and ensure they don’t miss a minute of the game, but we need supporters to help us.

“To make things run smoothly we’d like to process more than 30,000 fans in the first hour-and-a-half of gates opening and we are delighted to be able to confirm Only Men Aloud will form part of our early pre-match entertainment as added incentive.   “It’s not something that our rugby supporters will be used to if they didn’t come to a game in the autumn, but the new security measures are here to stay and have been installed in everyone’s interests, so we are appealing to fans for their help.”

Only Men Aloud will appear twice during the pre-match schedule on Saturday and will also perform at half-time.

During the recent autumn international series supporters failed to heed warnings and missed the kick-off for Wales’ meeting with Australia, but the by the time of the final weekend of the Under Armour Series, when the All Blacks were in town, the message had successfully got through and no-one missed kick-off.

But the Scottish game brings a new dimension to the issues experienced in the autumn – a different crowd may not be aware of the need to arrive early and, perhaps most significantly, the game kicks-off at 2.15pm and so represents the first sold-out early afternoon kick-off rugby international under the new restrictions.

Gates now open at Principality Stadium at 11.15am, which is three hours before kick-off – giving double the lead in time to previous Six Nations matches – with event organisers urging supporters:

“The earlier you arrive, the quicker you’ll get in. Gates open at 11.5am… please get in early,”

Personal searches form only part of the comprehensive measures in place at the stadium, together with safety officers and South Wales Police, all entry points are continually monitored throughout the day.

South Wales Police stress there is no specific threat to Cardiff.  Principality Stadium routinely works very closely with the Police and the Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit to deliver appropriate security measures for all major events. For more detailed advice visit www.wru.wales/getmein