Golden ages

The first decade of the twentieth century saw the first golden age of Welsh rugby with five Triple Crowns and two Grand Slams. But the
victories slowed as the First World War and economic depression ravaged Wales’s industrial heartland.

Success returned, and further development in the 1930s raised capacity to over 50,000 and heralded a second victory over New Zealand –13-12 in 1935.

Bomb damage in the Blitz had left a crater and a huge hole in the north stand, but a repaired Arms Park hosted Grand Slams in 1950 and 1952 and a third win over New Zealand in 1953.

By the late 1950s the dilapidated ground often resembled more of a lake that a green field. The WRU took ownership, and created a national
stadium with a capacity of nearly 60,000 in which the Welsh teams of the 1970s enjoyed a second golden age.

The new Millennium

With the dawn of professional rugby in 1995, commercial pressures led the WRU to redevelop the site again. The Millennium Stadium was
completed in time for the 1999 World Cup.

Today it is a modern, world-class venue with excellent facilities, but the retractable roof retains the great atmosphere of old – an atmosphere
that ignites the capital from its location in the heart of the city.