Eyes of the nation turn to Croker’s pitch battle

A GREAT celebration of Irish rugby?

Perhaps, but for most Munster and Leinster supporters, today’s meeting of the two provinces in the Heineken Cup semi-final is far too serious an affair to allow for any air of festivity... at least until the final whistle.

A majority of the 82,500 spectators expected at a sell-out Croke Park – a new world record attendance for a club rugby fixture – will have little desire to reflect on the rude good health of the oval ball game in Ireland.

Instead, the focus will be on the latest chapter in a great rivalry that offers the winner a generation of bragging rights and the not inconsequential reward of a place in the Heineken Cup final in Edinburgh on May 23.

It is also a tantalising rematch of the competition’s famous all-Ireland semi-final at Lansdowne Road in 2006 when Munster recorded an emphatic 30-6 win over Leinster on their way to finally nailing their elusive first Heineken Cup success in Cardiff later that year.

For Paul O’Connell and his squad, who were crowned Magners League champions on Thursday, today’s game is the second-last hurdle on the way to the so-called “Munster slam” of a league and cup double (as well as a third Heineken Cup in four seasons), while Leinster are hoping for revenge and a chance to shake off the bridesmaid’s tag they have garnered through a frustrating history of underachievement in the competition.

While the hype that surrounded the Munster-Leinster clash three years ago has not reached the same fever pitch level this time with the two sets of players, it’s a different story out in fanland.

Over the past few weeks, supporters of Munster and Leinster have inundated internet chatrooms and online forums with messages in keen anticipation of the game, with exchanges varying from friendly banter to something far less savoury – especially on the topic of Lunsters, the phenomenon of Leinster folk who support the rival province.

Such divided loyalty is particularly evident in the Griffin family from Dublin where Assets model, Ruth, is married to Munster flanker, Alan Quinlan, while her sister, Stephanie, is married to Leinster lock, Malcolm O’Kelly.

“I’m a Dub born and bred, so there’s been a fair bit of slagging, but I’m really looking forward to it,” laughed Ms Quinlan yesterday.

Much commentary has focused on the merits of the respective talismanic leaders Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll, and the myriad other contests between opposing numbers, such as the appetising joust between Ronan O’Gara and Felipe Contepomi.

But the recent Battle of Ticketmaster was as intense as anything that will occur at GAA headquarters today as the honours over which team has the most supporters at Croke Park seems almost as important as the outcome of the on-pitch battle.

In that respect, the Heineken Cup organisers have repeated a warning that only official match tickets will be accepted at turnstiles after last month’s debacle that saw all online TicketFast tickets being declared invalid.

One lucky Croke Park ticket holder, who will become the one millionth fan to attend a Heineken Cup game, will be upgraded to receive full corporate hospitality.

Elsewhere, tickets on the black market worth €45 at face value are fetching in excess of €200.

Meanwhile, the streets of Dublin, which normally witness a major exodus on bank holiday weekends, are expecting a major influx, with thousands of fans expected to congregate in the city centre before the game.

The massed ranks of the Red Army are expected to mobilise in large numbers to combat the fledgling force of Leinster’s blue battalions in what should be one of the most colourful fixtures in recent sporting history. Pubs and bars around the country are expecting a bumper weekend as thousands of ticketless fans flock to their local hostelry as the game (kick-off 5.30pm) is not being shown on terrestrial TV as Sky Sports has exclusive TV rights to the match.

In Limerick, a crowd of more than 5,000 is expected to gather at Merchant’s Quay where an 18m TV screen has been erected as part of the city’s Riverfest.