The landmark event in Welsh professional rugby, Judgement Day, returns to its iconic home - the Principality Stadium - for a 10th edition this weekend.
Despite all the problems and the widening fault lines in the game, the best players in Wales will be battling it out for local bragging rights.
First up, it’s Cardiff against the Ospreys in a clash loaded with significance—not just for bragging rights, but for United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off ambitions.
The double-header continues with the Dragons squaring off against the Scarlets in what promises to be another bruising battle.
The big show first kicked off on 30 March 2013, when the then Newport Gwent Dragons faced the Scarlets.
The honour of scoring the first try fell to one of the giants of Welsh rugby of the time, George North.
The then Scarlets wing wrote his name into the history books with the first of the Scarlets’ three tries in the 26th minute. He went on to grab a second in the 68th minute.
While he was the first to score a brace of tries, there have been nine other players who have matched that feat – Hanno Dirksen (Ospreys, 2016), Tadhg Beirne (Scarlets, 2018), Matthew Screech (Dragons, 2019), Johnny McNicholl (Scarlets, 2019), Thomas Young (Cardiff, 2023), Tomi Lewis (Scarlets, 2024), Sio Tomkinson (Dragons, 2024), Mason Grady (Cardiff, 2024), Nicky Smith (Ospreys, 2024).
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The quickest try at Judgement Day came from Dragons and Wales hooker Elliot Dee with his third minute try for the ‘Men of Gwent’ against Scarlets in the 31-14 victory in 2023.
Prior to that, it was Wales wing Alex Cuthbert’s fourth minute touchdown for Cardiff in their 17-13 win over the Scarlets in 2014 that held the record.
Wales and Dragons scrum half Rhodri Williams is still going strong at Rodney Parade and is another survivor from the opening game of the 2013 Judgement Day.
He was a replacement for Aled Davies, now at Cardiff, in the Scarlets side and his half-back partner when he came on was Owen Williams, now playing at Ospreys.
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Sam Parry made his Judgement Day debut as a replacement for the Dragons in that same game and is now playing for the Ospreys.
Cardiff’s current No.8 Taulupe Faletau made his Judgement Day debut in 2013 for the Dragons, while his Wales and British & Irish Lions teammate Justin Tipuric played for Ospreys.
Last year’s event at Cardiff City Stadium saw the four teams rack up 109 points, the third event in a row that fans were able to see a century of points scored – 115 (2019), 104 (2023), 109 (2024).
But the highest number of points scored at Judgement Day came in 2016 when the Ospreys beat Cardiff 40-27 and the Scarlets won 34-20 against the Dragons.
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It was in 2016 that the record was set for the biggest crowd at Judgement Day, when 68,262 turned up to watch the two matches.
This year's Judgement Day arrives at a crucial time for Cardiff, who have just emerged from a turbulent off-field period.
Last week, the club entered administration before swiftly being rescued by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), ensuring continued operations and job security for players and staff.
Meanwhile, the Dragons are set for a significant boost ahead of their clash with the Scarlets as co-captains Ben Carter and Angus O’Brien return from injury.
Carter, who has been sidelined for six months with knee and ankle issues, is expected to bring some badly-needed energy to the squad.
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“Ben is calm around the group and is really diligent around his preparation, bringing confidence to those around him,” said Dragons coach Filo Tiatia.
“He has been awesome and I am looking forward to him being involved.”
O’Brien, who fractured his thumb in January, is also set to make his return, along with props Rhodri Jones and Chris Coleman.
JUDGEMENT DAY RESULTS
| 2013 | Dragons 20–28 Scarlets | Cardiff Blues 16–23 Ospreys | 36,174 |
| 2014 | Cardiff Blues 17–13 Scarlets | Dragons 10–20 Ospreys | 30,441 |
| 2015 | Cardiff Blues 23–31 Ospreys | Dragons 10–29 Scarlets | 52,762 |
| 2016 | Cardiff Blues 27–40 Ospreys | Dragons 20–34 Scarlets | 68,262 |
| 2017 | Cardiff Blues 35–17 Ospreys | Dragons 16–21 Scarlets | 60,642 |
| 2018 | Dragons 8–33 Scarlets | Cardiff Blues 23–26 Ospreys | 62,338 |
| 2019 | Dragons 34–32 Scarlets | Cardiff Blues 23–26 Ospreys | 51,297 |
| 2023 | Dragons 31–14 Scarlets | Ospreys 21–38 Cardiff Rugby | 41,139 |
| 2024 | Scarlets 32–15 Dragons | Cardiff Rugby 29–33 Ospreys | 20,167 |
TEAM BY TEAM RECORD
| Region | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | TF | TA | Pts |
| Ospreys | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 237 | 224 | 28 | 24 | 31 |
| Scarlets | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 236 | 171 | 31 | 18 | 31 |
| Cardiff Blues | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 231 | 230 | 24 | 28 | 19 |
| Dragons | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 164 | 243 | 18 | 31 | 11 |
