ERC put Munster in ‘graveyard’ cup slot

There may have been a collective groan in Munster at the prospect of another Sunday lunchtime Heineken Cup kick-off, but the prospect of a final pool game with Edinburgh in the supposed graveyard shift was being viewed more optimistically within provincial headquarters.

While Munster’s crunch Pool 6 clash at Gloucester next month has been given top billing by broadcasters, the Irish province will have to play their final game at home to Edinburgh at 12:45pm on a Sunday.

Pool leaders Munster have a chance to secure a precious quarter-final spot in the penultimate round with a victory over nearest rivals Gloucester but they must face the Cherry & Whites in the white-hot atmosphere of their Kingsholm ground at 6pm on Saturday, January 11, the premier timeslot for maximum viewers on Sky Sports, after tournament organisers ERC released dates and kick-off times for the round five and six games yesterday.

The chance to generate a similarly floodlit atmosphere at Thomond Park in the final round, though, has been denied Rob Penney’s side, who must face Edinburgh at 12:45pm on Sunday, January 19. That means Munster have been handed a daytime kick-off for the second home pool game in succession, having played Perpignan in round three in the same slot. That time slot would on face value appear to make selling out Thomond Park that bit more challenging, with early starts for supporters travelling to Limerick.

Yet Munster sold 465 more tickets for their home game with Perpignan 10 days ago than for the Gloucester game in round two, which kicked off at 6pm on a Saturday, October 19 and drew a crowd of 23,150. Furthermore, both home games feature in the top five attended matches of the pool stages so far, outsold only by Saracens’ home game with Toulouse at Wembley in October, Leinster’s Aviva Stadium clash with Northampton Saints last Saturday and Racing Metro’s decampment to Nantes to play Harlequins the previous week.

“Munster Rugby are happy with all the attendances at our games this year, including the 12:45 game against Perpignan,” the province’s commercial and marketing manager Enda Lynch told the Irish Examiner.

“We understand that there are challenges with the 12.45 kick-off for some of our supporters but the reaction from our supporters at the ticket office shows people are still looking forward to the game.

“Compare our attendance for the Perpignan game to other clubs’ Sunday matches and our fans are still responding in great numbers and we’re hugely appreciative of them because we know the challenges that are there.”

At least Munster will enjoy an eight-day turnaround between games as they bid to make their five-point lead at the top of the pool an unassailable one. Leinster will have just five days between their trip to Castres on Sunday, January 12 (12.45pm) and their home finale against Ospreys the following Friday at 8pm.