It’s that time of year again: when Wales try and win a game of rugby while thousands of fans boycott matches at their Principality Stadium.

There are thousands and thousands of tickets still available for Wales’ three autumn fixtures in the inaugural Nations Championship finals month.

They take on Japan this weekend before matches against southern hemisphere giants New Zealand and Australia. It could spell millions in lost revenue for the Wales Rugby Union. But can you blame the fans?

It looked as if the side were on the up, defeating Italy and Fiji as well as the Barbarians between March and July. But then the men in red were well beaten in Argentina and spanked by world champions South Africa in Durban. It’s left fans feeling like the side are back to where they were when they endured a 17-game winless run.

Wales excuses?

But that’s no excuse. The Welsh Rugby Union is in crisis, the future of the regional game is in crisis and their best players are flocking across the River Severn and thriving in Prem Rugby. Investment often looks misplaced and badly targeted. Something needs to give.

But what cannot happen is fans turning their noses up at tickets to watch the national team, missing the chance for youngsters to be inspired to get into the game – even if that is through a fixation on how good New Zealand are rather than how poor Wales have been.

Welsh rugby columnist Paul Williams this week said: “I genuinely cannot think of a quicker way to ensure that Welsh rugby is guaranteed to move to two or three regions than to stop buying tickets for Wales games. Those tickets literally fund the game in Wales at all levels. Mind bending.”

State of the game

He’s bang on. But Wales must give their fans something worth dipping hands in very tight pockets for. It is not the easiest time at the moment and I can take my kids to the cinema for the price of one ticket to see Wales take on Australia.

People will rightly bemoan the price of tickets in London, too, but England have managed to virtually sell out every fixture this autumn – against the same trio of teams Wales are facing. And that’s despite needing to sell three days of rugby in this month’s fourth and final weekend – which will feature 12 teams with fixtures confirmed at just a week’s notice.

The point is this: Wales are in a hole. Fans don’t want to watch a losing team, a losing team is bad for business, and bad revenues impact the game and fans you rely on to turn up. It’s a death spiral and someone needs to break the chain. The quick fix is a good autumn. No pressure.