Wales are set to take on the Barbarians in front of just 20,000 fans at Allianz Stadium in London on Saturday, leaving the 82,000-capacity home of English rugby largely empty. The double-header features both the Wales men's and women's senior national teams playing uncapped matches against the Barbarians in the English capital.
Preparation for Key Tournaments
The uncapped matches will serve as important preparation for both Wales teams. Steve Tandy's men will be using this weekend's fixture to warm up for the maiden Nations Championship next month. The new biennial tournament will see the top 12 teams in the world play each other for the chance of being crowned champion at the end of the year.
This summer, rather than going on a traditional tour, Wales will play Fiji in Cardiff before jetting out to Argentina and South Africa. Then, in the autumn, they take on Japan, Australia and New Zealand at the Principality Stadium. In that sense, the Barbarians fixture has value for the men's side.
"We are treating it as a Test match and the training week has been no different in the mindset and intensity," said Tandy this week.
Women's Team Seeking Rare Victory
It's a similar tale for the women's team, even if they have no further fixtures this summer. With Wales women having lost their last nine matches, Sean Lynn — who has won just once since taking over in March 2025 — will be hoping to get a rare victory. "For us to go to Twickenham on Saturday and beat the Barbarians is everything," said the former Gloucester-Hartpury boss.
Reasons for Low Attendance
Despite both sides having something to play for, that hasn't translated into wider interest in the match itself. Ticket sales appear to be very slow, even with the added draw of Wales and Lions legend George North playing his final match of rugby after being named in the Barbarians squad. The fact the match is being played in London, rather than Cardiff, won't have helped ticket sales either.
The choice of Twickenham is supposedly down to the match being a 'home' fixture for the Barbarians — but the fact that Metallica have a concert at the Principality Stadium on Sunday will undoubtedly be a factor as well. There are other sporting events on this weekend, too. With the football World Cup in full swing, England take on Panama on Saturday night — while England women are also in Women's T20 Cricket World Cup action at the Oval on Saturday evening.
Historical Context
Barbarians matches have historically not proven huge draws, either. The last two uncapped matches against the Baa-Baas in 2019 and 2023 pulled in solid crowds of 53,271 and 62,138 respectively. The 2012 fixture, which was capped, also had a decent crowd in Cardiff — attracting 57,565. However, the 2011 game — also capped — only brought in 31,232 to the Principality Stadium.
