Around 750 people packed-out the courtyard of Caerphilly Castle to watch Wales vs England on Saturday, March 12.
The Six Nations clash had been hyped as the championship decider with both Wales and England unbeaten in the tournament.
Despite the great atmosphere generated within the walls of the 13th Century Castle, it was not to be, as Wales lost 25-21. After a dreadful 70 minutes of rugby, the men in red finally clicked into gear, but it was too late as England hung on to take the spoils. With Scotland beating France the following day, it meant England were eventually crowned Six Nations champions.
The open-air event at Caerphilly Castle was part of Cadw’s Historic Adventures campaign – a promotional push to get more visitors through the doors.
Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, said: “The England v Wales screening at Caerphilly Castle was the first of its kind at a Cadw historic site, and we were delighted with how it went. Visitors were able to enjoy both the game and the excellent family activities arranged in our ‘funzone’.
“Although the final score wasn’t quite what the Welsh fans had hoped for, the atmosphere in the inner courtyard – particularly when the Welsh team drove a tremendous fight-back in the final minutes – was electric.
“Overall, the screening demonstrated that events such as this one can indeed successfully be hosted at castles, while the speed at which the tickets sold confirmed the demand is certainly there amongst the general public.
“Following the success of Saturday’s screening, we’re looking into options for bringing more of these type of adventures to Wales’s historic sites in the near future.”
Rugby fans also managed to grab a photograph with the castle’s resident dragon, which was unveiled on St David’s Day. The sculpture, again part of the Historic Adventures campaign, helped boost visitor numbers to the castle by around 185% during the first week of its showing.
