Llanelli The First Stop For Irish Fans
Cardiff is preparing itself for a deluge of rugby fans this weekend as unbeaten Ireland roll into town in their quest to end a Grand Slam drought. But the first port of call for a number of Irish fans will be Llanelli on Friday night.
Friday night will see Allen Clarke’s Ireland Under-20 side kick off the international weekend as they travel to the new Parc y Scarlets Stadium in Llanelli to take on their Welsh counterparts.
Clarke’s youngsters lost their 100% record in the RBS U-20 6 Nations last weekend, going down 35-20 to Scotland in Perth, but they are hopeful that they can bounce back in what will be the first ever international match to take place at the Scarlets’ new ground.
Ireland are still in the running to be crowned RBS Under-20 6 Nations champions, but they will need to beat Wales and rely on Italy scoring a shock win over France and England beating Scotland in order to lift the trophy.
The Irish, with six points, are in a three-way tie at the top of the table with France and Scotland. The French are top of the pile courtesy of a +64 scoring difference. Ireland have a -5 scoring differential.
If you are in the area or are in Cardiff for the senior game, why not make the trip to Parc y Scarlets on Friday night to support Ireland’s next generation?
Tickets for Friday night’s game in Llanelli (kick-off 7.10pm) are £5 for children and £7 and £10 for adults and can be purchased on matchday from the Parc y Scarlets ticket office, by calling (0044) 1554 783 900 or via www.ticketmaster.co.uk.
The Under-20s’ final game of the Championship will be broadcast live on BBC 2 Wales. There will also be live web only coverage of the fixture on www.rte.ie (island of Ireland only).
Road directions to Parc y Scarlets Stadium –
From the M4:
* Leave M4 at J48 & take A4138 towards Llanelli for 3 miles
* At the Trostre roundabout (junction of A484, B4034, B4138) take A484 towards Swansea
* After 100 yards, at the roundabout, turn left towards the stadium’s players/officials car parks or right into the stadium’s supporter car parks
From the Loughor Bridge:
* At the roundabout on the Llanelli side of the bridge take the first exit, towards Llanelli. This is the A484
* Continue for around 2 miles
* When you have the stadium on your right, approach the roundabout and take the first exit into the stadium’s supporter car parks or the third exit towards the stadium’s players/officials car park
From Llanelli Town Centre:
* Head for Swansea
* At the Trostre roundabout (junction of A484, B4034, B4138) take A484 towards Swansea
* After 100 yards, at the roundabout, turn left towards the stadium’s players/officials car parks or right into the stadium’s supporter car parks