Six Nations Rugby Games

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:07 pm on 4 March 2020.

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Photo of Delyth Jewell Delyth Jewell Plaid Cymru 3:07, 4 March 2020

In fact, the Six Nations Rugby games are watched by 82 per cent of the population of Wales. That's an absolutely incredible figure, and I think that, in some ways, a case can certainly be made for it being a unique case because of that.

But the debate about whether the games should move to a pay-to-view platform isn't just about rugby. It's about the fact that some things shouldn't be decided by who can pay the most. Now, I take the points that the Deputy Minister has made about the fact that this tendering process is very much still going on, that there will be matters here that will be confidential, but I do think that, because of the unique place that rugby plays in the hearts of lots of people in Wales, it is still important that we have a discussion about this in the Senedd.

Since the RFU or England Rugby sold the rights to their games to Sky a few years ago, millions of English rugby fans have been unable to watch their own team play. I don't think it's in anyone's interest for the same thing to happen to Welsh rugby.