Welsh rugby's Judgement Day shelved for a season

Welsh rugby's Judgement Day event will not take place next season as the United Rugby Championship (URC) fixtures were released for the 2025-26 campaign.

Judgement Day is a Welsh derby annual double-header involving all four professional sides held at the same date at the same venue, normally the Principality Stadium.

The Professional Rugby Board (PRB), which consists of representatives from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and four regions and runs the professional game in Wales, confirmed the event will take a 'hiatus' next year.

A PRB statement says the event will be paused in 2026 so it can be "re-imagined" because it still has "huge potential".

The Judgement Day concept started in 2013 with more than 68,000 turning up at the Principality Stadium in 2016 but the event's popularity has waned in recent years.

The 10th edition of the event in its current guise was staged at the Principality Stadium this April and attracted a crowd of 28,328.

This was the lowest attendance of the nine Principality Stadium occasions, although the crowd figure was 8,000 fewer when the event was switched to Cardiff City Stadium in 2024.

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones and Scarlets captain Josh Macleod say they hoped the event could have a future if the crowds could be coaxed back.

"We will rethink the product we are offering and bring back an event to showcase Welsh professional rugby in the future," said a PRB spokesperson.

"The concept has huge potential and its early incarnations were a proven success, but we think it is time to re-imagine it.

"Instead, this season will see Welsh rugby concentrate on attracting maximum crowds for the respective derby days and other showcase fixtures at our home venues."

In contrast, more than 50,000 attended the Bath versus Bristol league game for an historic English league game staged at the home of Welsh rugby in May.

Bath and Bristol will return to the Principality Stadium next season for what they bill as the 'Big Day Out.'

The new URC season will begin on the final weekend in September when Dragons will travel to face Ulster on Friday, 26 September, while Cardiff host Lions and Scarlets entertain Munster the following day.

Ospreys will open their season by making the 5,600-mile flight to South Africa with two games against Bulls and Stormers, having also just finished the 2024-25 campaign there.

Ospreys are hoping to move to their new St Helen's ground by December and only have two home games in their first six matches with the venue of these games yet to be established.

The format of the competition remains unchanged, with the top eight teams progressing to the play-offs beginning 29 May.

The semi-finals will be played on 6 June, followed by the Grand Final on 20 June.

The fixtures have been released in the same week the latest off-the-field crisis has hit Welsh rugby.

A dispute has emerged between the WRU and Ospreys and Scarlets who are at loggerheads following the governing body's decision to implement an unequal funding system for the four professional sides.

The WRU made the announcement it was reverting to a two-tier funding model amid reports it intends to cut a professional team, although it has neither confirmed nor denied if reducing the amount of sides from four to three is part of its plans.

The WRU is currently contractually obliged to provide four sides in the URC and will face financial penalties if that commitment is not fulfilled.

Cardiff's 2025-26 fixtures: Lions (h) 27 Sept; Munster (a) 4 Oct; Connacht (h) 11 Oct; Dragons (a) 17 Oct; Edinburgh (h) 25 Oct; Zebre (a) 29 Nov; Scarlets (h) 19 Dec; Dragons (h) 26 Dec; Ospreys (a) 1 Jan; Benetton (h) 24 Jan; Ulster (a) 31 Jan; Leinster (h) 27 Feb; Bulls (a) 20 Mar; Sharks (a) 27 Mar; Scarlets (a) 18 April; Ospreys (h) 24 April; Glasgow (a) 8 May; Stormers (h) 15 May.

Dragons 2025-26 fixtures: Ulster (a) 26 Sept; Sharks (h) 3 Oct; Glasgow (a) 11 Oct; Cardiff (h) 17 Oct; Ospreys (h) 25 Oct; Leinster (h) 28 Nov; Connacht (h) 20 Dec; Cardiff (a) 26 Dec; Scarlets (h) 1 Jan; Munster (a) 23 Jan; Ospreys (a) 31 Jan; Benetton (h) 28 Feb; Stormers (a) 21 Mar; Lions (a) 28 Mar; Bulls (h) 17 April; Zebre (a) 24 April; Edinburgh (h) 9 May; Scarlets (a) 16 May.

Ospreys 2025-26 fixtures: Bulls (a) 27 Sep; Stormers (a) 3 Oct; Zebre (h) 11 Oct; Glasgow (h) 18 Oct; Dragons (a) 25 Oct; Edinburgh (a) 29 Nov; Munster (h) 20 Dec; Scarlets (a) 26 Dec; Cardiff (h) 1 Jan; Lions (h) 23 Jan; Dragons (h) 31 Jan; Ulster (h) 28 Feb; Benetton (a) 21 Mar; Connacht (a) 28 Mar; Sharks (h) 18 April; Cardiff (a) 24 April; Scarlets (h) 9 May; Leinster (a) 16 May.

Scarlets 2025-26 fixtures: Munster (h) 27 Sept; Connacht (a) 3 Oct; Stormers (h) 10 Oct; Lions (a) 18 Oct; Sharks (a) 25 Oct; Glasgow (h) 29 Nov; Cardiff (a) 19 Dec; Ospreys (h) 26 Dec; Dragons (a) 1 Jan; Ulster (h) 24 Jan; Benetton (a) 30 Jan; Edinburgh (a) 27 Feb; Zebre (h) 20 Mar; Leinster (a) 28 Mar; Cardiff (h) 18 April; Bulls (h) 25 April; Ospreys (a) 9 May; Dragons (h) 16 May.