Munster to play Champions Cup game in Pairc Uí Chaoimh next season - if they qualify

The southern province currently sits seventh in the URC table.

HOME BY THE LEE: Munster supporter Theresa O'Keefe during the Champions Cup match between Munster and Gloucester at SuperValu Páirc Ui Chaoimh. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Munster have announced plans to play another Champions Cup game at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh next season – subject to GAA approval and provided Clayton McMillan’s side can qualify.

The province currently sits seventh in the URC table after securing two bonus points in the three-point defeat to Bulls in Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The top eight sides qualify for playoffs and for the following season’s Champions Cup.

There are four rounds to go, but the team plays Exeter Chiefs in the Challenge Cup this Saturday.

Munster played its first ever Champions Cup game in the famous GAA Cork venue last December with 36,208 people attending the pool stage defeat of Gloucester. The province had previously faced South Africa ‘A’ and the Crusaders at the Leeside facility.

It was reported in the Irish Examiner subsequently that the province cleared €500,000 more from staging the Gloucester game in Cork than the sum earned from corresponding fixtures in previous seasons at Thomond Park.

The latest announcement comes on the back of recent confirmation that Munster will be seeking voluntary redundancies among its staff as a result of revenue “trending below forecast” in what it described as a challenging economic environment.

A statement on Monday said: “Should a Champions Cup pool game be staged in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Munster Rugby will advise on the number and blend of URC/EPCR games to be played in Thomond Park and Virgin Media Park next season.”