ERC chiefs: semi-finals will go ahead as planned

EUROPEAN Rugby chiefs insist the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup semi-finals will go ahead as scheduled despite the travel chaos caused by the eruption of a volcano in Iceland.

Huge tracts of international airspace in northern Europe have been shut down as a safety precaution due to the tons of ash which has been deposited since the initial eruption on April 14.

Thousands of passengers have been stranded across the continent with Ireland and England hardest hit. Yet despite restrictions, ERC bosses are adamant that there games will go ahead on the May Bank Holiday weekend.