Wales will celebrate Grand Slam triumph

Mar 18 2008 by Katie Norman, South Wales Echo

CELEBRATIONS have been promised to mark Wales’ stunning Grand Slam triumph.

The Welsh Rugby Union has been liaising with the Welsh Assembly Government and Cardiff council to organise fitting events to mark Saturday’s sensational Six Nations victory.

Events could involve touring the trophies throughout Wales.

A bus tour through Cardiff is thought to be unlikely but nothing has yet been ruled out.

WRU spokesman John Williams said: “We want to involve as many people as possible so we will be planning something that means the Grand Slam trophy and Triple Crown will be accessible to as many people as possible around Wales.

“We are considering all the other options to display the cup and celebrate with the squad as well but the decisions haven’t yet been taken.

“It’s all very fresh at the moment – our feet are only just touching the ground.”

Tentative discussions of how best to mark the occasion took place between the WRU and the Assembly Government before the match and further meetings have been ongoing since Saturday.

The clincher against France was watched by more than a million people in Wales on BBC1 and S4C, which is around a third of the country’s population.

The last 15 minutes of the game were watched by 991,000 viewers on BBC1 and 52,000 on S4C while the entire match had an average of 875,000 viewers on the two channels.

They are the highest Welsh viewing figures for any Five or Six Nations match in the last 15 years. The record may stretch back further, but figures were collated differently prior to 1993 so they cannot be compared.

Former Wales rugby player Nigel Walker is now head of BBC Wales sport. He said: “It really demonstrates how Warren Gatland and the players have captured the imagination of the Welsh public over the last few weeks.”

In comparison, the last game of the 2005 Grand Slam season, Wales versus Ireland, was seen by an average of 725,000 viewers, peaking at 855,000.

As well as increasing viewing figures, the Grand Slam weekend boosted the South Wales economy.

Cardiff Airport said an extra 6,000 passengers passed through its terminal over the weekend.

The pouring rain may have prompted just 300 people to watch the game on the big screen near City Hall, but an estimated £10m is believed to have been spent in the city.

But while restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels were busy, shops in Cardiff saw trade fall as people chose to watch the match rather than hit the high street.

katie.norman@mediawales.co.uk