CHIEF executive Martyn Phillips says the Welsh Rugby Union are investigating rescheduling Judgement Day after confirming the regional double-header has fallen victim to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Dragons were meant to face the Ospreys in the Guinness PRO14 double-header at Principality Stadium on Saturday, April 18 with the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues then locking horns.

However, the league campaign is suspended indefinitely because of the pandemic and the PRO14 website, and the majority of clubs, have already listed all fixtures as postponed.

The loss of Judgement Day is another financial blow to the regions, who were set for a first season of a new arrangement that runs until 2022.

South Wales Argus:

Previously the Dragons and Cardiff Blues had given up home fixtures to play on neutral territory in the capital, taking the majority of the profits.

The west Walian duo were the nominated hosts for the eighth edition of the double-header, taking 80 per cent of the ticket profits with the eastern pair getting 20 per cent. Attendances have passed 50,000 since 2015.

However, the upcoming event has been postponed and Phillips, who has agreed to extend his stay as chief executive because of the pandemic after previously announcing that he was leaving this summer, says the professional teams are looking at options for a new date for Judgement Day.

In a wide-ranging interview with WalesOnline, Phillips said about rugby and non-rugby events at the Stadium: “We kind of plan for something to happen until the point at which we know it won’t.

“So Judgement Day is postponed. Will there be an option to reinstate that at some point? Possibly. We are still in the “if we could do it, when would we do it and how would we do it” phase.”

South Wales Argus:

The Dragons and Blues are meant to return to being Judgement Day hosts in 2021.

The Rodney Parade region broke their double-header duck last season when caretaker boss Ceri Jones’ side stunned the Scarlets at the death in a 34-32 thriller.

The PRO14 final at Cardiff City Stadium in June has already been cancelled with tournament bosses establishing the criteria that need to be met to resume the cross-border competition in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and South Africa:

  • Public health authorities cease to prohibit the resumption of sport and group training.
  • Travel restrictions between territories are lifted.
  • No forced isolation or quarantine orders are in force when visiting territories.
  • Player welfare is safeguarded, including requirement for a suitable pre-recommencement training period, to be established in conjunction with the high-performance personnel at our participating unions and teams.

An idea that has been floated is for the Welsh regions to fulfil their remaining derbies in the virus-hit campaign.

The Dragons were meant to be travelling to the Scarlets this weekend, had the clash with Ospreys at Judgement Day and are meant to finish the season against Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade, which is traditionally one of their big money-spinning fixtures.