Munster fans still free to light up

The IRFU will not, for the moment at least, follow the decision taken by the GAA to ban all smoking from its main stadium. Lansdowne Road will remain a smoking zone, except for the indoor areas in the ground, which are encompassed by the recent smoking regulations introduced by Micheál Martin.

The GAA's decision to issue a blanket ban on smoking in Croke Park, although not in any of its other stadiums around the country, was in part a pragmatic one, as most or all of the seating in Croke Park has access to a covered area.

An IRFU spokesman yesterday pointed out that smoking had been banned indoors at Lansdowne Road, as well as in all of its offices in Dublin, for the past number of years, but that does not apply to the outdoor seating and terraces in the stadium.

There are pressrooms at the back of the West Stand and corporate entertainment facilities at the back of the East Stand, where the normal smoking restrictions would apply.

"All smoking has been banned indoors at Lansdowne Road for the past two years or so. At the moment, this does not apply to the stadium," said an IRFU spokesman. "But we are currently seeking clarification on the legislation and how it may apply. In fact smoking indoors has been banned in Lansdowne Road plus all the Dublin IRFU offices for a couple of years. As it stands at the moment people can smoke away outdoors."

It will not be the first time Irish sports fans will have experienced a blanket no-smoking stadium ban. When Ireland played Australia in the first Test of the International Series at the Subiaco Oval in Perth last October, smoking was banned throughout the ground.

On the field, Connacht report no serious injury concerns in the run-in to their Parker Pen Challenge Cup semi-final second leg against NEC Harlequins. The English visitors, however, must wait on the result of a disciplinary hearing today to see if they can field their hooker, Tani Fuga.

An independent disciplinary committee has been appointed by the ERC to hear a citing complaint lodged by Connacht following their first leg match at The Stoop on Sunday, April 11th. The committee of Paul Mauriac (FFR, chairman), Terry Vaux (WRU) and Mal Beynon (WRU) will decide today on the allegation that Fuga deliberately stamped on Galwegians second row Damien Browne at the edge of a ruck just before Harlequins scored their third try of the game.

The Samoan played in nine internationals and has been with Harlequins since 2000. It is expected that Connacht will provide the ERC with video coverage of the incident, which is said to contain "compelling" evidence against the Harlequins' player. Harlequins themselves do not expect a favourable outcome.

As a result, they will not name their team for the Sunday kick-off until tomorrow or Friday.

Connacht coach Michael Bradley will also delay naming a team until Friday morning after the team's final session.

The visitors, though, also expect to have a full squad to pick from except for those players considered long-term casualties. That list includes the world's most capped player, England prop Jason Leonard, who came away from the Six Nations Championship injured and has not yet recovered sufficiently to be considered.

RugbyFixtures

Saturday: European Cup semi-final: Toulouse v Biarritz, Stade Chaban-Delmas 4.0; Challenge Cup semi-final, second leg: Montferrand v Bath, Parc de Sports Marcel-Michelin 2.0.

Sunday: European Cup semi-final: Munster v London Wasps, Lansdowne Road 3.0; Challenge Cup semi-final, second leg: Connacht v NEC Harlequins, Sportsground 1.0.