Thousands of Irish supporters are expected to descend upon the capital for the game. Photo / Getty
Thousands of Irish supporters are expected to descend upon the capital for the game. Photo / Getty
Cardiff is preparing for pandemonium on Saturday, with Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam match-day in the city expected to break all records.
With Irish supporters travelling in their thousands on 50 extra flights from Dublin, and yet more who have spent the week at the Cheltenham Festival, a record 275,000 people are expected in town.
Around 7,000 extra passengers will pass through the city's airport on Saturday and Cardiff Council told Sportsmail they are anticipating a throng to rival 2012, when 275,313 people packed the capital as Wales beat France to clinch a clean sweep.
It will also trump the 247,313 figure from 2013, when Wales beat England 30-3 to stop their rivals completing their own Slam in one of the most raucous Cardiff nights in recent memory.
However, due to the inclement conditions thanks to Storm Gareth, a big screen by will not be erected for those without tickets to watch the game.
In 2005, when Wales won their first Grand Slam for 27 years, supporters packed the areas around City Hall to watch the historic occasion on a balmy March afternoon.
'We were in discussions with interested parties but the weather forecast creates too much risk for such an open-air event,' said a council spokesperson.
The pubs and bars are geared up for drunken carnage too. The Prince of Wales Wetherspoons on St Mary Street, a drop-kick from the Principality Stadium, is understood to be aiming to take £100,000 from the day's drinking.
Walkabout - the biggest sports bar in town with a capacity of 1,200 - down the street has bused in 140 kegs of beer in order to serve at least 11,500 pints.
For the recent England match that establishment ran out of Guinness by midday, and this time expect more than 2,000 through their doors from 10am until 3am on Sunday morning - with queues outside from 9 o'clock on Saturday.
Pub managers believe the day will be busier than any Wales match-day in recent memory - beating the 2013 England game.
City-centre hotels are desperate to cash in on the success of the rugby team too with some charging ludicrous prices for a room on Saturday night The Hilton hotel is selling rooms for up to an eye-watering £624 for the evening of the Test, with most other places around the £350-400-per-night mark.
Ireland's Keith Earls tackles Steff Evans of Wales. Photo / Photosport
When Sportsmail checked hotel-room comparison sites the only beds available for less than £300-per-night were either bed-and-breakfasts or situated miles out of town.
Seats for the match itself are still being sold for huge mark-ups too with a tickets available of re-sale websites for up to £1,200. Earlier in the week Sportsmail found a pair on an unofficial site being flogged for £3,500.
A WRU spokesperson said: 'The WRU strongly advises all supporters to make sure they always "buy official", only tickets bought from official sources (member clubs, official partners or the WRU direct) are guaranteed by the WRU - with tickets sold via unlicensed operators are often cancelled and entrance regularly and regretfully refused on void tickets.'
Via the WRU's official re-sale partner SeatWave you could buy a ticket in the lower tier by the 22-metre line for £460 per person on Wednesday.
In terms of rugby logistics, two trophies will be on display on Saturday as Six Nations chiefs prepare for either Wales or England winning the title.
One will be at the Principality Stadium for Wales v Ireland, which kicks off at 2.45pm, and will be lifted as normal on the field by Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones if they beat Joe Schmidt's side to win the Grand Slam.
However, if they lose and England beat Scotland at Twickenham, Owen Farrell will be presented the second identical trophy at rugby HQ around 7.30pm.
In the event that Wales and England both lose, Ireland will have to come out onto the pitch again in Cardiff to be crowned champions.
Fans in Cardiff will be encouraged to go to the Principality Stadium early, with gates open for the 2.45pm kick off v Ireland open from 11.45am.
Screens will show the day's early match - Italy v France - to entice punters in, and will also stay on for the England v Scotland match which kicks-off at 5pm.
Thursday a huge selection of Welsh rugby legends, from some of the 1950s Grand Slam winners to recently retired internationals, will gather at the SWALEC cricket stadium for a charity dinner.
Grand Slam winner from 1976 and 1987 JJ Williams is helping to organising the event, which will raise money for the WREX (Welsh Rugby International Former Players' Association) charity and will induct several stars into the Welsh 'Hall of Fame'.
'We're using the room where the cricket nets are as it's the biggest space in town,' Williams told Sportsmail. 'It's a big week for the Irish, with Cheltenham too, it's a shame it'll come crashing down on Saturday!'
