Heineken Cup date annoys Munster chiefs
The Heineken Cup champions had pleaded with the tournament organisers and broadcaster Sky Sports to schedule their round five game on either Saturday or a Sunday due to the traffic chaos which surrounded their opening Friday night fixture against Montauban in October. Hundreds of supporters arrived late to the game while many more turned back after being caught in lengthy tailbacks.
Stadium manager John Cantwell last night admitted the 8pm scheduling is a cause of huge concern for him.
He said: “The initial reaction is one of disappointment. The difficulties that Munster Rugby and their spectators have trying to access Thomond Park and Limerick city on a Friday night due to the large volume of traffic in the region are well documented.
“With two colleges and the fact that Limerick is not blessed with a circular route means that the majority of the traffic must come through the centre. It is bad enough on an average Friday night but when you add a Heineken Cup match to the scenario it can cause chaos. There was a strong argument to ERC and Sky Sports to take all these into consideration.”
He continued: “Montauban was a baptism of fire compounded by other factors such as a number of accidents on the main road from Cork along with the very bad weather that night. The ERC have three options for fixture dates — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — and there must have been enough options out there not to play a game on a Friday night.
“I was speaking to the Superintendent in Henry Street this morning and he fully supported our request not to play on a Friday night.”
Mr Cantwell revealed that the planning for the Sharks games began in earnest yesterday.
“We have to put a major plan in place to get people from the Munster region to the game on time. First and foremost we will encourage people to come as early as possible. That may mean that some will nearly have to take a half day to give themselves sufficient time. We will be talking to public transport to see if they can assist us. We will be in discussions with Irish rail to see if they can provide a special service on the evening.
“We will be working closely with the local authorities as well. With the Canada game (which was played on a Saturday evening) the multi-storey car parks all agreed to keep their facilities open late and at a discounted rate for match goers while there will be a special shuttle bus, direct to the stadium from Henry Street.”
ERC spokesman John Corcoran admitted that Munster had requested a Saturday or Sunday game but is confident that Thomond Park is ‘capable of managing this evening fixture’.
“ERC have to balance the often conflicting requests from all 24 clubs as well as ensuring there is the best possible exposure for the tournament across the European weekend from Friday through to Sunday. The Munster v Sale game is obviously a very high-profile game and a Friday night prime time slot reflects that.
“All clubs are required to be able to stage games from Friday through to Sunday as part of their participation in the Heineken Cup. Munster are a very professional team on and off the field and I’m sure they will be very capable of managing this evening fixture as they did with the sellout All Blacks game.
He added: “Munster’s preferred choice of a Saturday afternoon kick-off for away games was secured in Round 6 for the final Pool 1 game against Montauban.”
Heineken Cup (Round Five): Friday, Jan 16: Pool One: Munster v Sale Sharks, 8pm; ASM Clermont Auvergne v Montauban, 8pm. Pool Two: Edinburgh v Castres, 7.30pm.
Saturday, Jan 17: Pool Two: London Wasps v Leinster, 5.35pm. Pool Three: Perpignan v Ospreys, 3.35pm; Leicester Tigers v Benetton Treviso, 3pm. Pool Four: Ulster v Harlequins, 1.35pm. Pool Five: Toulouse v Glasgow Warriors , 1.35pm. Pool Six: Calvisano v Biarritz Olympique, 1.35pm.
Sunday, Jan 18: Pool Four: Scarlets v Stade Français Paris, 3pm. Pool Five: Newport Gwent Dragons v Bath Rugby, 1pm. Pool Six: Gloucester Rugby v Cardiff Blues, 3pm.
(Round Six): Friday, January 23: Pool Six: Cardiff Blues v Rugby Calvisano, 8pm; Biarritz Olympique v Gloucester Rugby, 8pm.
Saturday, Jan 24: Pool One: Sale Sharks v ASM Clermont Auvergne, 3.35; Montauban v Munster, 3.35. Pool Three: Ospreys v Leicester Tigers, 5.35; Benetton Treviso v Perpignan, 5.35. Pool Four: Stade Français Paris v Ulster Rugby, 1.35pm; Harlequins v Scarlets, 1.35pm.
Sunday, Jan 25: Pool Two: Leinster v Edinburgh, 1pm; Castres Olympique v London Wasps, 1pm. Pool Five: Bath Rugby v Toulouse, 3pm; Glasgow Warriors v Newport Gwent Dragons, 3pm.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
