I know. Thats why I said it.

Cardiff do well to play on it if it's buried deep beneath the millennium stadium as Leyther Matt thinks




It would be ideal for the 4 Nations though... if it's still standing.

Right in the guts of the city...


And there is a Walkabout not far away

The Millenium Stadium is built on the site of the ols stadium built for the commonwealth games. Both that, and the smaller one next door were called the Cardiff Arms park interchangeably over the years.

Wales v NZ - Cardiff

Wales v England - Wrexham

Wales v Aus - Cardiff

Aus v NZ - Stoop

England v NZ - KC

England v Aus - DW

Final - Elland Road

The RFL must not miss the oppertunity to host all the Wales games in Wales.

The game at Wrexham would be a certain sell-out and England could be given the stand behind the goals like a propper away allocation to make it a really good atmosphere.

Cheaper tickets will do the trick for the England game.

I'd go with:

Week1
Wales v NZ
England v Oz
Millenium Stadium double header (if we can't sell it out we don't deserve to call ourselves RL fans)

Week2
NZ v Oz Stoop
(Samoa v Tonga warm up game)
Eng v Wales DW
(France v PNG warm up game)

Week3
Eng v NZ KC
(PNG v Samoa warm up game)
Wales v Oz Wrexham
(France v Tonga warm up game)

Final Elland Road (or other suitable 30k+ northern venue)

That'd do me

Why do so many people want the final at Ellend road again?

Whats wrong with the Stoop?


Nice stadium.

Why do the idiots keep saying that it's going to be an Aus vs NZ final again? How many Aus vs NZ finals have there been in the Four Nations? Absolutely none. Yet apparently it is not only a foregone conclusion, it's a common occurrence?! Does us a favour and keep your rubbish opinions to yourselves...

You think Wales might shock a few people and meet Australia in the final?

Cant see it myself... I'm still going for an Australia v NZ one.

Hence why it should be played at the Stoop.

As for the venues being suggested...

Millennium Stadium for an England "home" game... why?! Awful idea. England vs Aus or NZ at Millennium Stadium would be a disaster IMO. It wouldn't get a bigger crowd than it would if it was actually played in England, so why make life difficult for the sake of making life difficult?!

I do think the Millennium Stadium should be used for a game. The idea of a double header with NZ/Aus and Eng/Wal could be a goer. The first usually gets about 10-15k in London, and the latter probably the same, so if you can get a 30k crowd in then that would be an achievement IMO. Personally, I'd try and avoid double-headers though.

I'd like us to be a bit more ambitious this year though. Those suggesting places like Leigh and Warrington are asking for sub-10k crowds. Unless you can fill it with locals, there is no point in having it there because no-one wants to travel there. No-one wants to travel to Hull, but we can fill it with mainly locals so it's not too bad. And it does my head in that DW always gets the Australia game. They've hosted the Aussies every time they've been up here. They can sod off next year and let someone else have a go. Maybe somewhere like Sheffield or even try a London venue. Somewhere that's a bit bigger and that people actually want to visit. People are getting fed up with the same safe options being taken, hence the poor crowd at DW last year. And how many bad crowds does Huddersfield have to get before it gets dropped? 19-20k is all they ever get.

I'd go with:

Week 1:
England vs New Zealand - KC Stadium, Hull (should sell out for an opener against the World Champions, 25k).
Wales vs Australia - Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Wales' 4N opener should get a decent crowd against the #1 ranked team in the world. Lots of build up and hype should see at least 18k like they got against NZ in the RLWC2000 there).

Week 2:
England vs Wales - DW Stadium, Wigan (close to Wales, not a tiny uninspiring ground like Wire/Widnes/Leigh, could aim for a big away Welsh following and fill that stand behind the posts, about 22k).
Australia vs New Zealand - Loftus Road, London (bigger than The Stoop and good crowd there last time there, about 16k).

Week 3:
England vs Australia - Bramall Lane, Sheffield (they're interested in hosting us, it's a bit bigger than the usual 25k grounds so shows growth in ambition, and it's a bigger place in general. A bit of novelty. 28k)
Wales vs New Zealand - Racecourse Ground, Wrexham (obvious reasons, 10k unless they open the other stand).

Week 4:
Final - Elland Road, Leeds (middle of heartlands and only ground in the area big enough, 25-35k depending on who gets into it).

Not to correct a man of such obvious good standing, but the original "National Stadium" in the Arms Park was demolished to make way for the Millenium Stadium, with only the North Stand(I think) left to form part of the new stadium. The ground next to it, although called The Arms Park is not the one that hosted International Rugby Union games in the 80s, which is why Cardiff RFU are still able to play on it. Actually in the pic you have used I think you may find that is the National Stadium rather than the Millenium Stadium, but I could be wrong!?!

I'd love to see a return to Wembley for the Final, a good bus trip down with pop n crisps to watch Australia v England, just like in 1992, allbeit that it was GB then.

If my image has loaded, Bazza this is the Millenium Stadium, see how it is the other way round to the one you are trying to tell everyone it is with your image. Magic

No, the former national stadium is on the right. The Millennium Stadium isn't even on that picture.



Now you can apologise to Leyther Matt...

England v Wales - Halliwell Jones
Australia v New Zealand - The Stoop

Wales v Australia - Cardiff Community Stadium
England v NZ - KC Stadium

Wales v NZ - Racecourse Ground
England v Australia - DW Stadium

Final - Elland Road

Thanks for that, was beginning to wonder if I'd ended up in a parallel universe and Wales somehow used to play in a tiny stadium up until the start of the century.

shows about as much faith as the ARL in Sydney!

Okay, here's another crack;

Wales vs England - Headingley
Australia vs New Zealand - The Stoop

Wales vs Australia - Racecourse Ground
New Zealand vs England - KC Stadium

Wales vs New Zealand - Racecourse Ground
England vs Australia - Galpharm Stadium

Final - Anfield

EDIT: got Aus/Wales and Aus/Eng mixed up

surely you'd want the two welsh games in wales and the three england games in england to maximise ticket sales? Eng v Wales in England will draw a bigger crowd than Eng v Wales in wales and I'd have thought Wales v Oz in Wales would draw more than in Leeds?

Sorry, they were the wrong way round

ah, makes sense now

A bit like my venues, which you crticised?

Think this is about right.

Wales vs New Zealand - Racecourse Ground
England vs Australia - Galpharm Stadium

Australia vs New Zealand - The Stoop
Wales vs England - Widnes/Warrington/Wigan

Wales vs Australia - South Wales sub 25K stadium
New Zealand vs England - KC Stadium

Final
third place play off
Double header
City of Manchester Stadium (we can ask)/ Elland road

City of Manchester Stadium would be perfect for the final. It's a shame they probably won't ever want us there again. Cracking stadium.

Maybe Man Utd will have us since they're skint? Just close off the upper tier of the North Stand.

Couldn't agree more with you, although I can think of a stadium not far from my house that's as nice as Widnes and Wire!

Im not so sure, the crowd would be dire in England because everyone knows it'l be a walkover, id of thought Wrexham is the best place for EngvWales game.

Millennium Stadium

what planet do some people live on its got a 74000 capacity, if the Wales games get 10000 that would be a big achievement

It is a sad little tune he plays from Bradford or wherever he is holed up...