Tens of thousands of tickets remain available for Wales' three Nations Championship matches this month, underlining the scale of the challenge facing the Welsh Rugby Union as it tries to limit a potential financial blow.
The WRU has stepped up its efforts to sell tickets in recent weeks, running a series of promotions and releasing extra children's tickets for this weekend's match against Japan.
The governing body is aiming to minimise a significant financial hit after reporting a loss of £18m in its annual report. Money is tight across Welsh rugby, with a similar loss expected next year and the Union stating that it can no longer afford to fund four competitive teams.
Ticket availability and sales data
At the time of writing, the WRU's official ticketing site showed around 57,000 tickets available for the three matches in Cardiff. There were 13,560 tickets available for the Japan game, 16,966 for the New Zealand match and 26,516 for Australia, although the accuracy of these figures is unclear as not all bookings may appear on the site.
While plenty of tickets remain in much of the upper tier, particularly in the corners of the ground, the back eight rows of almost every section have no seats available to buy, with the exception of one section in each of the New Zealand and Australia matches. No confirmation has been given on whether those tickets have been sold or are simply not being offered to the public amid lower demand. Those seats account for between 10,000 and 11,000 tickets per game.
Historical attendance context
Wales' lowest crowd to face Japan at the 74,000-seater Principality Stadium was 56,380 in 2004. Tickets for the Japan game are available for as little as £12.50 for children and £25 for adults.
Last year's match against the All Blacks drew the lowest attendance for a New Zealand game, with a crowd of 68,388, only the second time since the stadium opened that the visit of the All Blacks has brought in fewer than 70,000. Australia's lowest crowd to date is 53,127.
It is too soon to predict attendances, with the WRU previously noting that buying habits have changed and that ticket sales are likely to increase in the days before each match. The number of available tickets fell by around 1,700 over 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday.
Promotions and efforts to boost sales
The Australia match has proven a difficult sell, with its 8.10pm kick-off the latest ever start time for a Saturday international at the Principality Stadium. The WRU has targeted students for that game, selling tickets for £10 last month in a special offer.
The Japan match is being aimed more at families, with reduced ticket prices across the board and additional U18s tickets released in the middle and upper tiers this week after the lower tier sold out. Players have also helped promote the games in social media videos, and tickets for all matches remain available on the WRU ticketing website.
