Leinster first of Irish provinces to make pitch

RUGBY:LEINSTER WILL be the first of Ireland's three representatives to take the field in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals when they host the Cardiff Blues at the Aviva stadium (5.45pm) on Saturday, April 7th. The all-Irish clash between Munster and Ulster at Thomond Park is the early kick-off on Easter Sunday, April 8th (1.45) as ERC confirmed the dates, times and television scheduling for the quarter-finals.

Edinburgh will kick-off the knockout stage of the tournament when they welcome four-time champions Toulouse to Murrayfield (3pm) on the Saturday, while the final quarter-final will take place a little over 24 hours later as Saracens and Clermont Auvergne battle it out at Vicarage Road (4.30pm).

All four matches will be televised live on Sky Sports.

Tickets for the game at the Aviva Stadium went on sale to Leinster season pass holders yesterday and there were given priority access to purchase the seats they were allocated for the Leinster’s pool match against Bath in December. Season ticket holders will be able to avail of a 25 per cent discount on the full purchase price of their allocated seat. Ticketmaster service charges will apply.

The deadline to confirm purchase is close of business on Monday after which time all unpaid tickets will be removed and released for sale. Season ticket holders who wish to purchase additional/alternative tickets will then have access to all remaining available tickets from 10am next Wednesday (February 1st) for 48 hours before tickets go on public sale.

The discount will not apply to tickets bought during this pre-sale window. These tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and there will be a limit of eight per season ticket held.

Prices range from €10 for children to €20 for the cheapest adult seat up to €70, which may purchase a seat on the halfway line.

Leinster’s decision to move the match to the Aviva Stadium rather than stage it at the RDS qualifies for an ERC incentive. Instead of splitting the net profit from the ticket receipts 50/50 with the away club, the Irish province is entitled to a 65/35 ratio because of the increased capacity at Lansdowne Road (52,000) compared to the RDS (18,500).

Cardiff will receive a ticket allocation of about 12,500 for the game but realistically, may only take up a quarter of that allowance.

Munster and Ulster will distribute their tickets as they normally do for European matches, through the Munster Clubs, Schools and Supporters club and in the case of the latter, priority purchase rights will be given to the Ulster Rugby Supporters club. Standard adult tickets at Thomond Park range from €30 (Terrace) to €40 for Category B and €50 for Category A. Ulster will receive approximately 6,500 tickets.

The quarter-final at Thomond Park will oppose a number of other prominent sporting fixtures on the Easter Sunday, notably the Allianz National Football League round-seven clash between the 2010 and 2011 All-Ireland senior champions Cork and Dublin respectively at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The Irish Grand National meeting begins at Fairyhouse, with the main attraction that day the Powers Gold Cup. Those sporting alternatives won’t impact on what will be a full house.

The net profits from the ticket receipts for the quarter-final in Limerick will be split equally between the two Irish provinces, a state of affairs that will also pertain to the match in Vicarage Road between Saracens and Clermont Auvergne.

The IRFU will benefit to the tune of €1.3 million based on an ERC meritocracy payment for providing three of the quarter-finalists. This is calculated on last year’s stipend of €438,000 paid to the union/club for reaching that stage of the tournament.

Given at least one province will travel to the penultimate stage the coffers of Irish rugby’s governing body will swell further.

Edinburgh v Toulouse

Saturday, April 7th, Murrayfield, 15.00, Sky Sports/FR2/Canal+

Leinster v Cardiff Blues

Saturday, April 7th, Aviva Stadium, 17.45, Sky Sports/Sport+

Munster v Ulster

Sunday, April 8th, Thomond Park, 13.45, Sky Sports/Sport+

Saracens v Clermont Auvergne

Sunday, April 8th, Vicarage Road, 16.30, Sky Sports/FR2