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Wales playing Six Nations matches on a Friday night could become more of a rarity, with the Welsh Rugby Union set to harden its stance on the controversial time slot.

Warren Gatland’s side take on France at Principality Stadium on Friday (kick-off, 8.05pm), having hosted six of the seven matches played on a Friday thus far.

While there is evidence to suggest fans would rather a Friday night to a Sunday afternoon, Saturday remains the overwhelming preference.

WRU chairman Gareth Davies has said that after next year’s tournament, during which Wales are set for a Friday clash with Ireland, the union will look for other countries to host a larger share of games on that day.

“Everyone has to accept that the days of all matches being played on a Saturday afternoon are gone,” Davies told The Guardian.

“The television deal means matches on Fridays and Sundays are here to stay because the ratings are high.

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“We have twice canvassed the opinion of our member clubs and they prefer Friday night matches to Sunday afternoon. We have France next Friday and we play Ireland at that time next year.

“After that, the television schedule will be up for discussion and our view is that everyone has to bear the load. More hands need to go up.”

Davies stressed that the priority for the WRU was to ensure supporters can get to and from Cardiff city centre safely and conveniently on Friday nights when matches are staged.

“We appreciate that Friday is the busiest commuter day of the week and there have been public transport issues after matches in Cardiff,” said Davies.

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(Image: Action Images / Henry Browne)

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“We have worked hard with various authorities to resolve this and things went more smoothly during the World Cup when more trains were put on.

“The paying public is a priority for us and we put a huge amount of effort in to ensure people can get into and out of the city with a minimum of inconvenience.”

England and Ireland have cited commuter traffic problems as a reason for not staging Friday night matches, though England played at Twickenham at that time during the World Cup.

Italy and Scotland have voiced fears that attendances would drop if they were forced to play on Friday.

France have played one match in Paris in the slot – against Wales in 2009.