Cardiff hosts international rugby stars

With the rugby union autumn international series kicking off this weekend, Cardiff University will play host to the top four southern hemisphere teams in the world as they prepare for their games against Wales.

Every year, the University provides its Strength and Conditioning Centre on Park Place and the pitches at the Sports Training Village - Talybont and the Cardiff University Sport fields in Llanrumney - to the teams playing Wales in the autumn international series.

Visiting rugby squads from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa will be making the most of the University's world-class training facilities to fine-tune their fitness and game play ahead of their games in the Millennium Stadium.

Stuart Vanstone, Head of Cardiff University Sport, said: "Cardiff University is recognised by world-class teams as a leading training venue and ideal training location for teams of this calibre. Our performance-based environment and state-of-the-art facilities give sportsmen and women - at all levels - an opportunity to develop and achieve their full potential.

"We are always delighted to host the international rugby teams and allow them to use our facilities to prepare for their Wales fixtures. Seeing the likes of Dan Carter and the All-blacks, Jean De Villiers and the Sprinbok team, the Flying Fijians and the Wallabies around campus is very exciting for us and for the students."

This year will be the first time the touring sides will be able to train on the University's new 3G all-weather pitch at the University Sport fields in Llanrumney. The pitch has been built to enable both rugby and football training to take place.

The four games taking place in Cardiff are:

8 November: Wales v Australia

15 November: Wales v Fiji

22 November: Wales v New Zealand

29 November: Wales v South Africa