Leinster unlikely to move venue

The Leinster Branch executive will meet on Thursday to discuss whether to keep their final European Cup Pool Six home game against Newport at Donnybrook, or press ahead with a switch to Lansdowne Road.

As things stand the game - due to be played on October 27th - is still pencilled in for Lansdowne Road, but there is a growing feeling within Leinster circles that the game should revert to their more customary home venue. Not least, there is an understandable fear that holding the game at Lansdowne Road would rule it out as a potential neutral venue for the semi-finals were Matt Williams' team to progress that far.

Furthermore, Williams, the team management and the Leinster players would obviously prefer to play the game at Donnybrook, where Friday night matches have become very popular among the province's supporters, and where Leinster extended their unbeaten run to 15 games with a 28-9 win over Newcastle last Friday.

An attendance of almost 7,000 swelled Donnybrook - which has an estimated 7,500 capacity - for the match. Mindful of safety factors and a bigger capacity, the Leinster Branch originally planned to stage the home games against Newport and Toulouse (before the factory explosion in the French city forced a switch of fixtures) at Lansdowne Road.

A final decision needs to be made by the end of this week to give the branch's marketing department a fortnight to finalise arrangements for the game, especially if Lansdowne Road is chosen as the venue. If the international ground is preferred, the two lower stands will be opened, with the big screen moved to the Havelock Square end. But the likelihood is that the Newport game will remain at Donnybrook.

Meanwhile, planning applications for ground developments at Donnybrook, which would increase the capacity to 12,500, are expected to be put forward in the next month or two.