Kick off times for the rugby action, which includes the Konica Minolta Cup Final and Shane Williams’s testimonial match “Shane’s Game”, have been scheduled to ensure that supporters can stay in their seats to see all the action from Wembley Stadium as it happens.
Cardiff’s bid to overcome Portsmouth and take the FA Cup out of England for the first time since 1927, will be on screen just after “Shane’s Game”; which kicks off at 1.15pm, and before Neath and Pontypridd compete for the Konica Minolta Cup title and trophy at 6.00pm. In total more than six hours of live match action will be offered to fans at the day long festival of sport.
Supporters will buy just one ticket to watch three rugby matches and the FA Cup Final from the comfort of a Millennium Stadium seat. Fans will also be granted access into and out of the stadium throughout the day, if they want to use the stadium bars and facilities all in the price of a single ticket.
“Shane’s Game” features Shane’s Grand Slammers coached by Warren Gatland against a Justin Marshall World Legends XV coached by Mike Ruddock. It will offer Wales Head Coach Gatland a chance to see Welsh squad players in action before the team flies out to South Africa for a two-match Test series in June.
Live TV coverage of the FA Cup which kicks off at 3.00pm will be shown in full on the stadium big screens and on televisions in hospitality suites and elsewhere in the stadium. Then at 6.00pm the Konica Minolta Cup Final kicks-off with the crowd ready to roar on Neath and Pontypridd in the big end-of-season showdown. The day of action starts at midday when the DC Thomas Cup Final, the under 11s schools match, takes place.
WRU Group Chief Executive, Roger Lewis, said: “We are delighted to have been able to secure permission to screen the FA Cup Final on our big screens. The day will be a great sporting occasion for Wales and the calibre of the games on view will be tremendous.
“To be able to watch a testimonial involving international legends plus an FA Cup featuring Cardiff and two of our great Premier Division clubs battling it out for the Konica Minolta Cup is a mouth-watering prospect for any supporter. The atmosphere will be wonderful and the best of it is that nobody in the stadium will miss out on any of the Welsh sporting history being made that day.”
Tickets, which guarantee a seat for all four games, will cost £25, £15 or £10 for under 16s. Anyone who wants to secure a ticket can call the hotline 08705 582 582 or visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk online (shortcut: www.millenniumstadium.com/shanetickets).
