Leinster and Northampton sell out Croke Park for Champions Cup semi-final

A general view of the Croke Park. Pic: Brendan Moran, Sportsfile

Leinster’s Investec Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton Saints at Croke Park next month is heading for a sell-out after all available tickets were snapped up within a couple of hours on Friday.

GAA headquarters is set to host its first game of club rugby since the Leinster-Munster Heineken Cup semi-final of 2009, which attracted a then record crowd of 82,208, and the May 4 showdown between the 2011 finalists could even surpass that, with Croke Park’s capacity of 82,300.

It is understood 75,000 tickets were made available on Friday, the remainder held back for sponsors and guests, and competition organisers EPCR are understood to be delighted with the rapid take up from both clubs.

The second semi-final, between five-time champions Toulouse and first-time semi-finalists Harlequins, set for the 33,000-capacity Le Stadium in Toulouse on Sunday, May 5, also sold all its available tickets. A sell-out there would bring EPCR a total attendance for the two matches of more than 110,000 supporters.

This season’s Champions Cup final will take place at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 25, with a capacity of 62,850.