LEINSTER WILL PLAY the first home game of their United Rugby Championship campaign at the Aviva Stadium. 

The province made the decision to switch from the RDS amid concerns about hosting their season ticket holders. 

“At this moment in time, with the current restrictions in place and likely to be in place for at least another month, we would be unable to accommodate the over 12,000 season ticket holders that have committed to us for the season ahead in the RDS Arena,” Leinster Rugby CEO Mick Dawson said. 

“Until we can guarantee their tickets, it is very difficult to commit to games at the RDS Arena and we hope by announcing this decision now it gives clarity to supporters who might have been concerned about their purchase with the season less than a month away.

“It should be noted that it is very much our intention to return to the RDS Arena when we can accommodate all of our season ticket holders but right now, with Covid-19 restrictions still very much a feature of the immediate sporting landscape we felt it was the right decision to take and crucially secures us much needed revenue after a very challenging 20 months.”

Leinster’s pre-season friendly against Harlequins will also take place at Lansdowne Road on 10 September, with Dawson insisting the arrangement will be under review. 

“For now we have committed to playing our initial two games at the Aviva Stadium and over the coming weeks we will assess the situation further and issue advice accordingly,” he added.