A fox among the pumas

An urban fox has been spotted on the Millennium Stadium pitch just days before Wales take on the might of the Pumas.

Staff are hoping the arrival of the four legged intruder is an omen of good luck ahead of Saturday's clash with Argentina.

The fox was photographed by security staff who have been on the look out after several late night sightings of the elusive animal in the shadows around the pitch.

It is not known whether the fox has adopted the iconic stadium as its home or pays visits from its lair elsewhere in the capital city.

The photograph was taken late on Tuesday night after most of the Millennium Stadium staff had left for the day.

After being snapped the fox fled into the terraces and disappeared from view for the rest of the night.

In recent weeks security staff have spotted what looks like a fox on CCTV cameras which scour the building inside and out 24 hours a day.

It is believed those sightings are of the same animal which decided to take a stroll on the newly laid turf this week.

Millennium Stadium Manager, Gerry Toms, said: "We've had skydivers, a helicopter, and abseilers drop in on us before now but never to my knowledge a fox.

"This is a huge stadium and we learn to expect the unexpected but none of us can hide our delight and surprise at knowing a fox has decided to turn up.

"They are notoriously shy so there is no threat but we are now on the trail to try to find out how he or she gets in and where he or she likes to hide here.

"We've had plenty of pigeons in the past and we introduced a hawk to frighten them off but I think some of the staff are quite pleased to know we now have a fox for company.

"Foxes are quite nimble creatures so let's hope it's a good omen before we take on the strength and power of the Pumas on Saturday.

"I'm sure the fans will now keep a sharp look out for our fox but I'm pretty sure he will keep a low profile when the stadium is busy for the game.

"They tell me that our young centre, Jonathan Davies, is nicknamed The Fox so maybe he'll have an extra fan barking instructions to him at the weekend.

"We won't be encouraging our fox to stay around the Stadium but we're advised that it is not a real problem.

"Urban foxes are extremely common and all big towns and cities have quite large populations of these creatures who tend to be spotted late at night or in the early hours."

Turf farm manager, Chris Medley, from Country Turf snapped the picture of the fox on his phone as he was turfing the pitch late on Monday evening.

"I had a shock when I noticed the fox but I was more surprised at how close I was able to get with my camera phone to take a picture of the Millennium Stadium's newest fan."