WELSH rugby fans are in for a nasty shock in the run-up to Christmas - ticket prices to watch the national team are going up, starting with the Six Nations in the new year.

The Welsh Rugby Union would neither confirm nor deny the price hike, but the Argus understands that an across-the-board increase of £3 a ticket is on the cards in time for the Six Nations (the first home game is against Scotland on February 13) - and it could even be more.

The increases could hardly come at a worse time with Wales in the grip of a recession and unemployment figures rising every month.

But the planned minimum £3 on tickets ranging from £55-£65 on top Six Nations tickets and for those against major southern hemisphere teams represents an increase of between 4.6% and 5.4%.

The clubs have not been informed of the price rise yet, but it is believed an official announcement is due within the next few weeks.

Some clubs, though yet to be informed officially, have reacted angrily to the proposal. “£65 to watch Wales is a bit salty, never mind asking us to pay more,” said one official.

Another said, “This is going to mean that if I took my wife to a game it’s going to cost around £200 by the time I buy two tickets and add on the cost of getting to the game plus a meal afterwards.

“I can’t see them selling out now, especially for the Italy game, and the France match is on a Friday night as well, so imagine how difficult that is going to be for people coming from west and north Wales. A price rise on top of that is really going to spoil it.”

Asked about planned ticket price rises, a WRU spokesman replied, “We are constantly reviewing tickets prices and we are pleased that Millennium Stadium ticket prices are generally below those of other international stadia.

“Demand for the autumn series is fantastic and the New Zealand and Australia games are sold out. And we are still selling tickets for the other games (against Samoa and Argentina).”

However, the Argus understand that some clubs have not been able to get rid of all their allocation and are still advertising them for sale on their websites.

On top of that the WRU is still trying to sell hospitality packages for the forthcoming autumn series which starts with the game against the All Blacks on November 7.