THOUSANDS of people are expected to pack the Millennium Stadium to watch the semi-final clash between Wales and France.
But expect one front room in a farmhouse in Mid Wales to be making an even bigger noise.
Rugby World Cup fever has gripped the nation and many fans will travel to Cardiff to cheer on the boys from inside the national stadium for what is being billed as ‘the biggest game in Wales’ history’.
But there will be nowhere louder than the front room of a farmhouse in Abbey-cwm-hir, a small village near Llandrindod Wells where the parents and brother of Wales’ sensational flanker Danny Lydiate live.
After flying back from New Zealand ahead of the quarter-final clash against Ireland fearing Danny would miss out through injury, John and his wife are still unsure whether they will be able to return to New Zealand even if their son makes the final.
“People think it is easy, but the first thing you have to consider is whether you can afford it because at the end of the day no-one is a millionaire,” explained John.
“We could probably get flights for about £2,000 but then you have to consider if it is even possible to get accommodation and if you can afford it. At one time we were paying NZ$699 a night for a room in Hamilton.
“Then the third thing to take into consideration is whether Danny will even be fit to play in the final. Fingers crossed Wales will beat France, get to the final and Danny keeps fit, but there are no guarantees in this game.”
It was because Danny was expected to miss the Ireland game - which Wales won 22-10 - that John flew home in the first place.
“I spoke with Danny on Tuesday and he’d said we might as well go home rather than pay for more accommodation because at that point it didn’t look like he would play any part in the match.
“Of course if we’d known he would be passed fit and would play against Ireland we’d still be out there now, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and for us to take another flight out there would be physically very difficult. I still haven’t recovered from the last trip.”
So instead of travelling halfway around the world to watch his youngest son, John and his eldest son, Jack, a promising rugby player himself before being hit by serious injury, will watch the game at home.
“I don’t really see any point in travelling to Cardiff to watch the game when we can watch it in the house,” said John.
“We watched the Ireland game here too and it was fantastic. They played so well and we were jumping up and down, clapping our hands and shouting at the TV set.
“It will be the same on Saturday against the French. We will be cheering the lads on and hoping they make it to the final.”