Red Army gears up to make trip south

Another opportunity for Munster rugby fans to enhance their reputation for canniness in travel and ticket arrangements has arisen following the province’s victory over Harlequins in the Heineken Cup at the weekend.

The pleasurable prospect of a visit to the south of France later this month beckons for the Red Army thanks to the heroics of Paul O’Connell and his team — although the trip is expected to set most fans back at least €350 for the cost of flight and transfers alone.

It is estimated at least 5,000 Munster supporters will make the journey to Montpellier for the semi-final showdown with tournament favourites Clermont Auvergne on Apr 27.

The match will be played in the Stade de la Mosson — the home ground of Montpellier’s football team — which has a capacity of 32,900.

Although Clermont have sought an initial allocation of 20,000 tickets to meet the demand from their fans, the size of the venue means most Munster fans travelling to the game shouldn’t encounter any great difficulty in buying a ticket.

Munster Rugby has sought and been granted an initial allocation of 5,000 tickets from the tournament organisers. It is expected they will be distributed as normal via affiliated clubs and the official supporters’ club.

A spokesman for the ERC said additional tickets could be granted to both Clermont and Munster if there was sufficient demand over the next few days.

“We want tickets to go to fans of clubs involved in the game,” he explained.

The ERC said it also expected that several thousand tickets would be available for sale to the general public through French websites.

A decision on additional allocations of tickets to both sides, as well as details about tickets being placed on general sale, is expected to be announced towards the end of this week. Match tickets are priced between €20 and €70.

The economic situation has impacted on the numbers likely to make the journey to Montpellier compared to away ties in years past, according to travel industry sources.

A special Ryanair flight from Shannon to Montpellier, announced within hours of the final whistle at Sunday’s game, is currently priced at just under €356. A similar flight from Dublin costs over €394.

A scheduled return flight from Aer Lingus from Dublin to Toulouse on the weekend of the match is currently priced at around €390.