'May is already a pretty special month at the Millennium Stadium with the FA Cup final, the Konica Minolta Cup final and the three Football League play-off finals,' said WRU Group Chief Executive, David Moffett. 'Adding this unique fixture between the Lions and the Pumas to our already impressive portfolio of events will only heighten the excitement and drama. When you add in our own Konica Minolta Cup final, we can expect more than 300,000 fans through the turnstiles in the space of a month. While that is good business for the Millennium Stadium, it is equally as beneficial to Cardiff and Wales. The month of May alone should generate in excess of £50m gross income for the Welsh economy. More than that, the global coverage received from the events staged at the Millennium Stadium in May will carry the name of Cardiff around the world in what will be a very special year for the city. For in 2005 Cardiff will celebrate the 100th anniversary of receiving city status and 50 years of being the Welsh capital. We are delighted to have been able to bring the Lions game to the Millennium Stadium to provide the best possible sporting showcase for the city's celebrations and I acknowledge the role played by the City and County of Cardiff in helping us win the bid.'
The Test match between the Lions and the Pumas on Monday, 23 May, 2005, will be the 36th full international staged at the Millennium Stadium since it first opened its doors in June, 1999 - 32 Welsh internationals and three RWC 1999 fixtures. But in terms of major international rugby occasions it will be the 44th top-class event hosted in the Welsh capital in six years - 32 Welsh Tests, 5 uncapped Welsh matches (3 v Barbarians, 1 v USA and 1 v French Baa-Baas), 3 RWC 99 matches (Argentina v Japan, S. Africa v NZ and Australia v France), 2 Barbarians matches (v S. Africa and Australia) and 1 Heineken Cup final (Leicester Tigers v Munster).
'Let's face it, this game will be the biggest rugby match played at the Millennium Stadium since the 1999 Rugby World Cup final between Australia and France,' added Moffett. 'As far as we are concerned at the WRU it will be a case of the British and Irish Lions coming home. After all, they have played three times before on this site, including honouring the WRU with a game to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Union in 1955.'
The Pumas should feel very much at home at the Millennium Stadium having already featured in three games on the ground. They had the honour of opposing the host nation Wales in the opening game of the 1999 Rugby World Cup - a match they narrowly lost - and then met Japan in a midweek floodlit match played before a crowd of more than 40,000 in the same tournament. They won that game and then notched their first victory over Wales in 2001 with an impressive 30-16 victory.
'The Millennium Stadium is used to being a 'Citadel for Soccer' and will be able to make an easy switch in rugby terms from being the 'Dragons Lair' to the 'Lions Den' - especially as the Lions wear red shirts,' added Moffett. 'This game will provide the British and Irish sporting public with a great opportunity to witness another world class event at the Millennium Stadium. The cream of British and Irish rugby will be on display against a side currently ranked eighth in the world. The record attendance for any event at the Millennium Stadium is the 74,600 who attended the 2002 Heineken Cup final. If we can find that many seats I'm certain we will be able to fill them.'
BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS TESTS IN NEW ZEALAND
01 1904 LOST 3-9 (Wellington)
02 1908 LOST 5-32 (Dunedin)
03 1908 DREW 3-3 (Wellington)
04 1908 LOST 0-29 (Auckland)
05 1930 WON 6-3 (Dunedin)
06 1930 LOST 10-13 (Christchurch)
07 1930 LOST 10-15 (Auckland)
08 1930 LOST 8-22 (Wellington)
09 1950 DREW 9-9 (Dunedin)
10 1950 LOST 0-8 (Christchurch)
11 1950 LOST 3-6 (Wellington)
12 1950 LOST 8-11 (Auckland)
13 1959 LOST 17-18 (Dunedin)
14 1959 LOST 8-11 (Wellington)
15 1959 LOST 8-22 (Christchurch)
16 1959 WON 9-6 (Auckland)
17 1966 LOST 3-20 (Dunedin)
18 1966 LOST 12-16 (Wellington)
19 1966 LOST 6-19 (Christchurch)
20 1966 LOST 11-24 (Auckland)
21 1971 WON 9-3 (Dunedin)
22 1971 LOST 12-22 (Christchurch)
23 1971 WON 13-3 (Wellington)
24 1971 DREW 14-14 (Auckland)
25 1977 LOST 12-16 (Wellington)
26 1977 WON 13-9 (Christchurch)
27 1977 LOST 7-19 (Dunedin)
28 1977 LOST 9-10 (Auckland)
29 1983 LOST 12-16 (Christchurch)
30 1983 LOST 0-9 (Wellington)
31 1983 LOST 8-15 (Dunedin)
32 1983 LOST 6-38 (Auckland)
33 1993 LOST 18-20 (Christchurch)
34 1993 WON 20-7 (Wellington)
35 1993 LOST 13-30 (Auckland)
Lions won 6; NZ won 26; Drawn 3
MILLENNIUM STADIUM MAJOR EVENTS
APRIL - AUGUST 2005
April 10 - LDV Vans Trophy
April 16 - FA Cup Semi-Final
April 17 - FA Cup Semi-Final
Weekend of May 01 - Finals Day
WRU Reebok Regional Championships
May 07 - Konica Minolta Cup Final
May 21 - FA Cup Final
May 23 - British and Irish Lions v Argentina
May 28 - Coca Cola League 2 Play-Off Final
May 29 - Coca-Cola League 1 Play-Off Final
May 30 - Coca-Cola Championship Play-Off Final
June 11 - Speedway
July 10 - REM
August 27 - Rugby League Challenge Cup Final
