Scrum for flights to France for the Munster Army

There’ll be choke tackles, charge downs, rucking, mauling, and, doubtless, a couple of breakdowns.

There will, unquestionably, be the mother of all scrums.

This time however, the mad foraging is not for the ball but for one of those elusive airline tickets that can bring Munster fans direct from Cork to Marseille for the Heineken Cup semifinal.

Ryanair announced the special flight last night, with a lead in price of €299. What the final seats on the flight will cost is anyone’s guess but I would hazard an arm and a leg.

In a customary display of munificence, Ryanair said it was “delighted” to be able to assist the Red Army in its quest to get pitchside.

“Alone Munster stand as the last Irish team in the Heineken Cup and Ryanair is delighted to schedule a weekend return flight special to ensure Munster fans can get behind their team when they take on the might of Toulon,” said spokesperson Robin Kiely.

Not to be outdone, Aer Lingus are also “investigating the possibility” of laying on extra flights that weekend.

A spokesman said they were considering starting the Dublin to Marseille service a week early. The route normally launches on May 1. “If we do manage to do it, it will mean two flights out of Dublin on Saturday April 26 and one flight on Sunday,” the spokesman said.

Aer Lingus will announce its intentions today.

Asked why flights could not be organised out of Cork or Shannon, the spokesman said they had no spare capacity on the dates in question out of those two airports.

An April 25, an Aer Lingus flight from Cork to Nice (about 160km from Marseille) is booked out and the only other option out of Cork with the national carrier departs on April 21. A Ryanair flight from Shannon to Nice departing on April 25 and returning April 28 was about €350 last night. Return Dublin/Nice cost about €280.

A search on ebookers for Cork to Marseille flights threw up circuitous routes, involving stopovers in London or Paris and ticket prices a Fabergé Egg wouldn’t cover.

The Ryanair flight out of Cork departs at 4.55pm on Friday April 25 and returns at 8.35pm the following Monday. Ryanair also operates Dublin-Carcassonne flights over the same weekend. Carcassonne is about 310km from Marseille.