Munster attendance alarm rejected

Munster Rugby officials have hit back at criticisms over attendance figures, citing a year-on-year increase in the numbers who attended the province’s regular season home games.

A crowd of 16,158 at the Guinness Pro12 semi-final against the Ospreys, Paul O’Connell’s Thomond Park farewell, was the epicentre of such alarm.

Yet the club’s CEO, Garrett Fitzgerald, labelled the attendance as ‘excellent’, when compared to similar rugby occasions held in recent weeks.