European night in Páirc Uí Chaoimh brings significant financial upside for Munster

LUCURATIVE: Munster Rugby are understood to have cleared €500,000 more from staging last Saturday’s Champions Cup pool game with Gloucester at Cork’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh than the profit they earned from corresponding fixtures in the past seasons at Thomond Park. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Munster Rugby are understood to have cleared €500,000 more from staging last Saturday’s Champions Cup pool game with Gloucester at Cork’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh than the profit they earned from corresponding fixtures in the past seasons at Thomond Park.

The Pool 2 fixture attracted a crowd of 36,208 to the Leeside home of Cork GAA as Munster scored a 31-3 victory in dismal conditions. The wide open terrace ends and some less than stellar rugby did not generate the sort of atmosphere seen at the Páirc for Munster games in the past against South Africa A in November 2022 and the Crusaders in February 2024 but this first competitive game at the GAA stadium was played in front of the biggest crowd the province has seen for a European fixture.

Compared to crowds for December home pool fixtures in Limerick, the 36,000-plus crowd in Cork far outstripped 18,908 who attended the 2023 tie with Bayonne and last season’s 17,241 who saw Munster beat Stade Francais.

With no mention of the financial benefits, assistant coach Mossy Lawler said he would welcome the return of a competitive Champions Cup match to Páirc Uí Chaoimh in future seasons.

“It's always brilliant to move games around the province and expose rugby to everybody,” Lawler said on Monday.

“I think that's pretty important. To get out and about and open the game to everybody that's in the province. It's such a brilliant stadium, 36,000 people.

“Such a brilliant atmosphere at times, I won't say always, but I do like getting out and about and making sure that we're open to everybody.” 

Lawler was speaking to media in advance of this Saturday evening’s trip to west Wales and a return to URC action against Ospreys at Bridgend’s Brewery Field, with wing Calvin Nash and lock Fineen Wycherley having returned to training following respective shoulder and hand injuries. 

Hooker Diarmuid Barron will miss out after failing his Head Injury Assessment following the final whistle against Gloucester, having been a second-half replacement but Nash and lock Wycherley could come back into the selection mix for Thursday’s team announcement.

“Fineen has had a fantastic season so far,” Lawler said. “Brilliant lineout caller and exceptional around the group. He got that unfortunate injury against Bath that ruled him out last week. So he'll come into contention, of course, because of the quality player he is.

“Calvin is just chomping at the bit to get back. His ability in training, his energy, his communication has been exactly who Calvin is. So no different to what we ever expect from him. Hopefully he has an opportunity to get back in this week and show us just how good we know he is.

“Calvin is an international quality player and he shows that quality every day in training. So we'll be looking forward to hopefully having him available to selection.

“With the way the new laws are playing out, he's exceptional in the air. His backfield coverage is outstanding and his edge defence is outstanding. So someone that will seamlessly fit back in if selected.” 

Lawler stressed the importance of an improved performance following a string of missed try-scoring opportunities from Munster last Saturday which might have made the European tie more straightforward against an understrength Gloucester side. In the end, three final-quarter tries from replacements Ruadhan Quinn and Tom Farrell brought up the try bonus point with captain Tadhg Beirne adding a fifth to round out the victory.

The Munster assistant added there could be no drop-off in intensity with the return to league action.

“Certainly not. We know how hard the URC is. So from that point of view, there'll be no stones unturned this week. The Ospreys pose a massive threat in the air so this will be three weeks in a row where there will be aerial bombardment in relation to what we'll face in the backfield.

“They're unbelievable in the contact and on the deck in relation to their poach threat. So we've got to be all over that in relation to our physicality and our accuracy in the breakdown. And then when we do get opportunities in the 22, as a group, we know we have to be way more clinical than we have been in the last two weeks.”