Numbers of empty seats could potentially be higher on Sunday with clubs, including Swansea, Llandaff North and Machen, trying to shift tickets on social media over the past week.
With tickets costing between £40 and £120, one club chairman said “it’s not worth it”, adding a skiing trip for his family was not much more than a rugby day out in Cardiff.
“Obviously the Six Nations is the jewel in the crown of rugby in certain Welsh terms, and for France, the favourites probably for the tournament, it’s a really big match,” said sports economist Prof Calvin Jones.
“I can’t remember in my 30 years as a sports economist this [so many unsold tickets] happening before.”
Welsh rugby is in turmoil on and off the pitch.
The team lost 19 games in a row before beating Japan last summer, while they have not won in the Six Nations since 2023.
Off it, there is a bitter feud over the future of the regional game, with the leader of Swansea council threatening the WRU with legal action, and businesswoman Hayley Parsons calling on clubs to oust the chairman to instigate a change of direction.