Ticket fever for thousands of Munster and Leinster fans

Tens of thousands of rugby fans are expected to line out for tickets following the weekend’s Champions Cup quarter-final victories for Munster and Leinster.

Supporters of the provinces are prepared for a scramble for tickets, particularly in the case of Leinster fans who will be in the minority when Leo Cullen’s charges travel to France to face Clermont.

“Tickets to the Champions Cup Quarter-Final away to Clermont on the weekend of April 22/23 will be offered to the 11,103 Leinster Rugby season ticket holders on a first refusal basis later this week and then if tickets are returned from both clubs they will be offered on general sale from next Monday on www.epcrugby.com

“We are expecting the operational capacity for the Matmut Stadium de Gerland to be approximately 32,000,” a Leinster Rugby spokesperson told the Irish Examiner.

“History shows that Leinster tends to bring at least 2,000 to the big occasions in France.

“Our previous trip to face Clermont in a semi-final in April 2012 saw just over 1,800 Leinster season ticket holders travel to the Stade Chaban Delmas where Leinster recorded a 15-19 away win,” the spokesperson said.

“Our quarter-final trip to face Toulon two years later in April 2014 in the Stade Felix Mayol saw just over 2,400 travel, while in April 2015 for our last semi-final on French soil, again against Toulon, just shy of 2,000 availed of tickets,” he said.

“Of course many other Leinster fans availed of tickets once they went on general sale and the support on all three occasions was phenomenal and will be again in three weeks’ time.

“Our official travel partners Joe Walsh Tours are currently offering overnight and day packages to anyone interested in travelling,” he said.

Meanwhile, Munster supporters are expected to turn Lansdowne Road red in three weeks when the province takes on Saracens in Dublin. It has been reported that Munster requested 35,000 tickets, with the visiting Saracens staking a claim for 2,500.

Munster Rugby Supporters Club has told full and associate members they can buy two tickets each. The sale for full members will start tomorrow at 12pm and will run until next Monday at 12pm.

Associate members will have their chance to buy tickets from 4pm tomorrow.

“Depending on tickets sales from Munster Rugby and Saracens, the EPCR may go on public sale with tickets closer to the game,” the club has advised supporters.