RUGBY:IT SEEMS increasingly likely Ulster's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Northampton, on the second weekend in April, will be held at the Milton Keynes Stadium in Buckinghamshire.
Northampton’s home ground, Franklin’s Gardens, has a capacity of 13,591 and a club spokesman confirmed yesterday they are unable to extend that to the minimum 15,000 required under ERC regulations. Plans to construct temporary seating were abandoned as it would block the view from their corporate section.
Despite ongoing discussions between the Saints and the ERC to remain at Franklin’s Gardens, the 22,000-capacity MK Dons football ground has already been nominated as the alternative venue. All four quarter-final venues, along with kick-off times, will be released in the next few days.
Leinster have already switched their tie against Leicester, a repeat of the 2009 final, to the Aviva Stadium. After a deduction of 20 per cent for costs, Leinster will be able to avail of an increased take of 65 per cent of the proceeds as reward for moving to a bigger stadium.
Tickets are expected to be similarly priced to the previous games at Lansdowne Road this season and Leicester will be entitled to an allocation of up to 25 per cent. That means schoolboy/girls tickets could be as cheap as €5, with every 10 tickets purchased providing free entry for an adult.
“Existing Leinster season ticket holders will be offered the priority option to purchase tickets for this game and information will be circulated shortly,” said Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson. “There will also be a range of family packages and junior tickets on public sale. We will continue the increasingly popular “One Province” scheme as we do for all of our home matches. Over the coming days we will finalise competitive ticket prices.”
The all-French quarter-finals may be switched to larger venues in Spain. Biarritz versus Toulouse is expected to take place at the Real Sociedad’s Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian while Perpignan can use Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium for their meeting with Toulon.
