LEO CULLEN HAS stressed the need for Champions Cup organisers EPCR to price tickets for Leinster’s semi-final at Croke Park appropriately, with the province hoping to draw a bumper crowd to Jones’ Road next month.
Saturday’s 40-13 defeat of La Rochelle saw Leinster book their place in the Champions Cup semi-finals, where the province will come up against Northampton Saints.
With Aviva Stadium unavailable due to preparations ahead of the Europa League final, Leinster will return to Croke Park for the first time since 2009 for the 4 May meeting with Northampton.
The English Premiership side advanced to the semi-finals by beating the Bulls on Saturday night, but hotel prices in Dublin could impact the size of the travelling support for the trip to Croke Park, which has a capacity of 82,300 – over 30,000 more than the Aviva, which was sold-out for Saturday’s win against La Rochelle.
While it has the potential to be a special occasion for supporters, Cullen is wary of match-goers being priced out of the game.
EPCR are due to confirm ticket details later this week.
“It’s over to the Leinster fans at this point because we’ve had amazing support [v La Rochelle] and amazing support last week [v Leicester Tigers], and if you get a big crowd there, it’s a great thing. It’s a special occasion,” said Cullen.
“Hopefully EPCR price the tickets appropriately for an 82,000 venue because you want a big crowd, don’t you?
“Obviously it’s an EPCR event, it’s not a Leinster event. That’s the big thing you’s ask, because you want a proper crowd there.
You want to entice people to be there, to make it a special occasion rather than rip people off. You don’t want to rip people off.
“So hopefully it’s a proper game now as in we get a big crowd, because if we turn up there and whatever, 20,000 people – 20,000 is a lot of people but if it’s in an 82,000-capacity stadium then it’s a different kettle of fish, isn’t it?”
Leinster will have home advantage in the last four for the third season running, but EPCR didn’t sell out the Aviva Stadium for the province’s last two semi-final games in Dublin – both of which were against Toulouse.
Last season a crowd of 46,823 saw Leinster beat Toulouse at the 51,700-capacity Aviva Stadium, with 42,076 attending Leinster’s 2022 semi-final win against the five-time European Champions.
Leinster drew a crowd of 40,775 for their Champions Cup round of 16 meeting with Leicester at the Aviva earlier this month, and then remarkably sold-out the stadium just a week later for the La Rochelle game.
Leinster’s semi-final clash with Northampton will be first of this year’s semi-finals, with a 5.30pm kick-off on 4 May.
The other semi-final sees Toulouse host Harlequins at Le Stadium at 5 May, ahead of the 25 May final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
