Wales were winners on and off the pitch last season, with their Six Nations Grand Slam success reflected in record profits for the Welsh Rugby Union. A 5% increase in turnover for the 2004/2005 helped the group return a pre-tax profit of �3.6m.
That contrasts with the previous year's loss of �100,000, and a �3.7m loss at the end of the 2002/03 financial year.
The welcome profit has been helped by cost-cutting measures introduced by group chief executive David Moffett.
Australian Moffett joined the WRU at the end of 2002 and set about reducing close to �60m of debt and overseeing Wales' move towards regional rugby.
As well as cutting costs, there was an important restructuring of the debt to reduce the WRU's liabilities.
Moffett has since signed a four-year contract extension that will keep him in his post until 2008.
"The success of the national team was a huge catalyst for our financial improvement," said WRU chairman David Pickering.
"But the good work off the field of everyone involved in our national sport and our national stadium over the past financial year has helped us to deliver record profits."
Next season's coffers will be boosted by seven home games to look forward to at the Millennium Stadium.
They including three home games in the RBS Six Nations and four autumn internationals against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Fiji.
The new Wembley Stadium - if completed on schedule - will take back football matches such as the FA Cup, League Cup and divisional play-offs that have been held in Cardiff during Wembley's rebuilding, and possibly rugby league's Challenge Cup.
But the Millennium Stadium will continue to host the Wales national football team, while other sports such as Speedway have found a new home.
Cardiff's showpiece ground, with its closeable roof, has also taken great strides as a music venue.
"At the Millennium Stadium we have now established ourselves as a leading venue for all music industry events," Pickering added.
"We have attracted the biggest names in the business from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers to U2, REM and now Oasis for a ground-breaking concert for the Christmas period.
"The incredible Tsunami Relief Cardiff concert last January raised nearly �2m, directly donated to the DEC appeal for South East Asia, and showed the world what the Millennium Stadium is capable of achieving."
MMIX
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We have now established ourselves as a leading venue for all music industry events