Leinster aiming to make Laya Arena 'one of the best stadiums to play club rugby in Europe'
Leinster Rugby chief executive Shane Nolan before a media conference. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Leinster are counting down the weeks until their return to the RDS, with the redeveloped Laya Arena set to open its doors to the oval ball game next month.
The province will use their pre-season fixture against Zebre on September 12 to test the venue, before returning home for their URC round three meeting with Cardiff on October 10.
That will be their only game there before December 19, with a meeting with Munster and a Champions Cup encounter to be played at the Aviva Stadium before then.
The redevelopment, which has taken Leinster away from the RDS for two seasons, has increased capacity from 18,500 to 20,600 and came in on its €52 million budget.
Their extended stay at the Aviva Stadium, along with six fixtures at Croke Park, produced big attendances, but CEO Shane Nolan accepts fatigue crept in among supporters.
Nolan believes the new arena can provide the foundation for the next stage of the province's growth.
Apparently, if you were to line up all the seats in the brand new Anglesea Stand they would reach the Halfpenny Bridge but the redevelopment has gone beyond that, with improvements to accessibility, food and beverage facilities.
There will be a new caterer, more than 20 food vans and a new fan zone area with capacity for over 1,000, while the renovated Grand Hall will be used for players' families.
"So much has gone into that, so what we hope is that this will become one of the best stadiums to play club rugby in Europe," Nolan said. "That's our aim and that's our focus for the next number of years."
The revamped ground's commercial opportunities will be important as Leinster prepare for life without Leo Cullen, who will step down as head coach after next season.
Nolan revealed Cullen informed him of his decision in March, following the Six Nations, at one of their monthly meetings.
“I was disappointed. Was I totally shocked? Leo's been in the job a long time, but nobody's in the job forever, it was going to happen," he said. "We discussed his motives and the reasons for his decision, and it was clear he'd made his mind up, so I totally respected that.
“Leo's totally Leinster first and that's why he wants to give us enough time to land a brilliant successor, so we're incredibly grateful that he did that.”
Seven trophies in 11 years, combined with a record of reaching the latter stages of European and domestic competition, have made Cullen's tenure a successful one, albeit some supporters were unhappy that the 48-year-old had presided over five Champions Cup final defeats, including the latest in May.
“He's been our most successful coach,” Nolan said. “Leo's been involved in every trophy we've won as a club since the professional era, which is quite extraordinary.
“He consistently gets us to finals and semifinals year after year. And he's doing it primarily with home-grown players, 90 percent of our squad comes from Leinster. His legacy is down to the calibre of people who are knocking on the door trying to get his job. So he'll be sorely missed.”
The province's other high-profile departure was James Lowe, who left for Japan this week.
Lowe had been offered a new contract, albeit a less lucrative one than before, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement after prolonged negotiations.
“We're disappointed to see James Lowe leave, he's such an incredible player, an incredible human being, a great asset to have in the building,” Nolan said.
“But look, it's professional sport and there was an offer on the table, another offer on the table, and you know the outcome. We wish him nothing but the best, and we’ll miss him.
“The two sides couldn't agree, and it probably went on longer than anybody wanted. The learning for us is to conclude these things quicker. Ultimately, James decided to go to Japan, so we respect his decision.”
The province has no plans to reduce squad numbers despite the increased financial burden created by changes to the central contracting model. Leinster's contribution to centrally contracted players rises from 30 to 40 percent from this month.
“We'll cut our cloth accordingly, but we're keeping the same numbers,” Nolan said.
The province remains open to adding players during the season if the right opportunity arises. “Always scope to add to it,” Nolan stressed. “We're happy with the squad but we're continuing to see if there's any opportunities to bolster that, for the right person.”
New Zealand sabbaticals are unavailable this season because of the World Cup, but Nolan said the model that brought in Jodie Barrett and Rieko Ioane will be revisited in time.
Leinster's use of non-Irish-qualified players, including Rabah Slimani, has also proved valuable, although two NIQ slots remain vacant.
Meanwhile, Nolan confirmed academy player Alan Spicer remains a Leinster player for the coming season following an internal disciplinary process.
The 21-year-old second row, who has played twice for the first team, recently pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a woman in her 20s in a nightclub in March and paid €10,000 compensation. Spicer avoided jail and a criminal conviction.
“He was subject to a court process and all that included and, after that concluded, we had our own disciplinary process, as we would do for any employee,” Nolan said.
He stressed that the matter was confidential but confirmed the internal process had been completed in accordance with Leinster's HR policy.
“We have high standards and a code of conduct for all of our players,” he said. “That's been concluded according to our HR policy, so we took that very seriously and made sure we went through the process.”
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