RUGBY fans have been treated with contempt by the money-chasing authorities who have decided to start the most famous domestic competition in the world on a Friday night next season.

Traditional rivals Wales and England will kick the tournament off at 7.45pm on February 4. That means the game won’t be over until around 9.30pm leading to a stampede for the pubs and clubs with all the possible trouble that could cause.

The Friday night experiment was introduced last season when France met Wales in Paris at the unearthly hour of 9pm French time, and it was repeated for the return match this year.

But Wales against England is different, for it’s a game which arouses passions more than any other, particularly among Welsh fans.

Beat the old enemy and the celebrations begin, but lose and depression descends over the nation. A night time kick off could lead to big problems in the centre of Cardiff and beyond, particularly if the result goes against Wales.

Not only that, but a Friday night international is difficult for fans who live some way from south Wales to get to.

It means basically taking a day off work, in many cases without permission.

Fans will be depending on public transport (if they want a traditional beer or two) and we all know how reliable that is. How are people meant to get home to far flung places with a finish two-and-a-half hours before midnight?

So why do the authorities agree to a Friday night kick off? It’s not because the fans are at the forefront of their minds, it all comes down to hard cash.

For TV pays the money and the authorities eagerly accept it. Television figures are higher for a Friday night fixture.

So TV moguls insist on a Friday, and they have the final say. But it’s a decision which flies in the face of what the real rugby fans want.