Munster Get Home Draw For Semis

[Foggy Hayes]

Munster Rugby just handed home semi final should they progress against either Harlequins or Leinster

[cit_gym_rat]

say munster do win, where can we play it?

[Eoin]

say munster do win, where can we play it?

Massive debate about this, but it'll have to be either TP or the RDS or else it'll be abroad.

[cit_gym_rat]

Massive debate about this, but it'll have to be either TP or the RDS or else it'll be abroad.
cant be TP, cant be the teams home stadium

cant be RDS either as far as i know as the capacity has to be over 25k or 30k not 100% sure of that figure

[Eoin]

cant be TP, cant be the teams home stadium

cant be RDS either as far as i know as the capacity has to be over 25k or 30k not 100% sure of that figure

Thats what the rules say alright, but there's goign to have to be some adjusting this time cos otherwise there's nowhere to play it

Temp seating at the RDS perhaps?

[Redshirter]

I believe that it has got to be a 25k capacity for the Semi

[blocker]

If it Leinster they are saying it will be RDS which shoves the advantage back to them!

[Redshirter]

If it Leinster they are saying it will be RDS which shoves the advantage back to them!

I doubt it very much if Leinster will beat Quins my guess is that it will be a Munster/Quins Semi played only God knows where

[Eoin]

If it Leinster they are saying it will be RDS which shoves the advantage back to them!

Not necessarily, Munster would still be the home team so would get the majority of the tickets

[Arcadia]

Croke Park has been mentioned and mat well happen.

[RonnyB]

Croke Park has been mentioned and mat well happen.

Dream on I'd say. Would need to go before GAA Congress to open it up & that has to start at club level. Cant see it happening.

[Up For The Ba]

Croke Park has been mentioned and mat well happen.

I think that will be a no go.

[cit_gym_rat]

If it Leinster they are saying it will be RDS which shoves the advantage back to them!
sur leinster were the home team in 2006 and we saw what happened there

[Arcadia]

I think that will be a no go.

It was on 2fm sports news at 2.00pm.A convention will have to be called but they are hardly going to turn down a couple of million in these recessionary times ? Especially before Landsdown comes back on stream next year.

[irishbarry]

If its Munster Quins, Millenium Stadium could do the trick, one semi sat and one Sunday, I suppose the main issue with this is room avaliability and getting there but the Millenium Stadium is our home away from home

[RonnyB]

It was on 2fm sports news at 2.00pm.A convention will have to be called but they are hardly going to turn down a couple of million in these recessionary times ? Especially before Landsdown comes back on stream next year.

It all depends on dates. The championship would be starting around that time. I'd put my house on it not being played there.

[cantankerous bastard]

Surely the GAA arent blind to economic reality? It would be a massive moneyspinner, they've already sold out to rugby, what difference would it make to have it be munster leinster instead of Ireland?

[Eoin]

It all depends on dates. The championship would be starting around that time. I'd put my house on it not being played there.

Hurling league final is scheduled for that weekend. No championship games at all.

[RonnyB]

Hurling league final is scheduled for that weekend. No championship games at all.

Just checked that theres no game fixed for Croke Park unless the GAA now decide to play the league final there just to avoid the issue.

The GAA dont need the money if they can afford to pay €500k on fireworks before a league match. As someone who was in favour of amending Rule 42 I would still feel a little reserved into opening Croke Park for the Heineken Cup. That would be the start of abolishing Rule 42 altogether I think.

[cantankerous bastard]

Just checked that theres no game fixed for Croke Park unless the GAA now decide to play the league final there just to avoid the issue.

The GAA dont need the money if they can afford to pay €500k on fireworks before a league match. As someone who was in favour of amending Rule 42 I would still feel a little reserved into opening Croke Park for the Heineken Cup. That would be the start of abolishing Rule 42 altogether I think.
in for a penny in for a pound.

[Rebelred]

Could they not play it in Musgrave Park? An away game for both teams.

[cantankerous bastard]

Could they not play it in Musgrave Park? An away game for both teams.
when was the last time musgrave held 20,000+?

[Rebel Yell]

Croker will definetely be on the cards should it be Munster V Leinster....what a semi that would be...

[RonnyB]

Another thing, what will it cost the ERC to stage the game in Croke Park, after all I read somewhere that they get the gate reciepts for semi finals & the final itself. The GAA are not going to brew up a storm among themselves just so Munster & Leinster have a place to play 1 match without it benefitting them on probably a bigger scale than what they are getting per game now anyway.

[Liathroidi Mor]

Thurles!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

[cantankerous bastard]

Another thing, what will it cost the ERC to stage the game in Croke Park, after all I read somewhere that they get the gate reciepts for semi finals & the final itself. The GAA are not going to brew up a storm among themselves just so Munster & Leinster have a place to play 1 match without it benefitting them on probably a bigger scale than what they are getting per game now anyway.
They'd fill croke park for it. The only people who wouldnt make a mint from it are munster and leinster as the gate for the semi goes to ERC.

[Youghal Exile]

So long as munstershire lose i dont care where it's played.

[cit_gym_rat]

So long as munstershire lose i dont care where it's played.
ah fuck off back to waterford

[RonnyB]

They'd fill croke park for it. The only people who wouldnt make a mint from it are munster and leinster as the gate for the semi goes to ERC.

You can be sure the GAA would milk it for every penny available. Would the ERC be willing to cough up the funds? Cardiff to me seems to be most likely venue for a semi final involving Munster.

A word of caution though, the last time Munster fans were bitching about a venue for a home game and slagging the GAA was before they played Leicester at home. I dont need to tell you what happened then.

[cantankerous bastard]

You can be sure the GAA would milk it for every penny available. Would the ERC be willing to cough up the funds? Cardiff to me seems to be most likely venue for a semi final involving Munster.

A word of caution though, the last time Munster fans were bitching about a venue for a home game and slagging the GAA was before they played Leicester at home. I dont need to tell you what happened then.
ya ya I know.

Ospreys is a better draw than toulouse, but they are dangerous and I'm not counting my chickens.

I mean thats basically the core of wales and everyone is saying wales are favourites for 6N.

We've got a job to do there but its no harm to discuss what next if we do progress before the QF.

[Youghal Exile]

ah fuck off back to waterford


Im more of a corkman than a wanabee limerick man like you following a limerick team.

[delzer]

ah fuck off back to waterford

this forum seems to be closer to your area of expertise you should stay in your comfort zone.

[Youghal Exile]

this forum seems to be closer to your area of expertise you should stay in your comfort zone.


I know this is off topic but you must be happy enough to come out of anfield with two draw's.

[delzer]

I know this is off topic but you must be happy enough to come out of anfield with two draw's.

delighted to be honest would have bitten the hand off anyone who offered me two draws this time last monday.

big 14 days now with arsenal at home man u away and liverpool at home

and the march in town in support of the hurlers going to be a big two weeks

[AGORDEIRE]

ah fuck off back to waterford

Ah tis cork for sure......
Just our challenged brothers and sisters

[AGORDEIRE]

I dont want to counting any chuck chucks either.......

[Youghal Exile]

Ah tis cork for sure......
Just our challenged brothers and sisters


Well at least you can leave your key's in the front door.

[cit_gym_rat]

Im more of a corkman than a wanabee limerick man like you following a limerick team.

allez les limrickshire

[Youghal Exile]

allez les limrickshire

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[liam2me]

Today it was confirmed that the winners of the Heineken Cup quarter final Munster/Ospreys tie will go on to meet the winners of the Harlequins/Leinster clash.
According to the draw this afternoon, in the event that Munster advance to the semi final in this year's Heineken Cup, Munster will be awarded the home country advantage.

ERC requirements stipulate that the venue must be a neutral venue with a minimum capacity of 20000, and under these requirements the only ground to fit those criteria at the moment would be the RDS in Dublin.

The semi finals of the Heineken Cup come under the auspices of the ERC and any venue selection is determined and confirmed by them.

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/19_8844.php

[Arcadia]

I think that will be a no go.

Croke Park may welcome semi-final
In this section »
Provincial clash: GAA wait and seeUnited stroll three points clearGERRY THORNLEY Rugby correspondentRUGBY: ALTHOUGH IT is far from a done deal, the likelihood of Munster staging a Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park in early May increased yesterday. First, the winners of their quarter-final with the Ospreys were drawn at home to the winners of the Harlequins and Leinster match, and, second, initial reaction from the GAA and the IRFU suggest the prospect of Croke Park welcoming a possible all-Ireland semi-final was not logistically insurmountable.

There remains the minor detail, of course, of Munster overcoming the Ospreys at Thomond Park on Easter Sunday for there to be a semi-final in Ireland, not to mention Leinster making it a reprise of the 2005-06 semi-final at Lansdowne Road by beating Harlequins later the same day.

Nonetheless, ticket demands for another Munster-Leinster semi-final would easily fill Croke Park were it to come to pass.

Early opinion suggests a decision to ratify the leasing of Croke Park for a one-off Heineken Cup semi-final involving Munster and, ideally, Leinster, would not require a vote of the GAA’s Annual Congress in mid-April.

Conceivably matters could move fairly swiftly, as the next scheduled meeting of the GAA’s Central Council takes place on Valentine’s Day, February 14th.

One potential difficulty is that the National Hurling League final is scheduled for Sunday, May 3rd, though in recent years that competition has been staged elsewhere.

Even so, this would mean that were the GAA’s Central Council to approve a Heineken Cup semi-final taking place in Croke Park, it could be on Saturday, May 2nd. But given the increased gate receipts and profile of an 80,000 sell-out, the ERC presumably wouldn’t have a problem with such a development.

In not ruling the Croke Park option out, an IRFU spokesperson effectively confirmed that they are now considering an approach to the GAA when saying: “We have to nominate a host venue for the Heineken Cup semi-final and right now we’re looking at all the options.”

The odds on an approach from the IRFU for the use of Croke Park have also been increased by Munster being drawn at home as well as Leinster being a potential opponent. Somewhat incredibly, Munster have only been drawn at home once at the semi-final stage in the last nine years. Not only have they played six semi-finals away (four of them in France), but on the last two times they were knocked out in the quarter-finals Munster were due to play away in the last four.

Munster did play Wasps at Lansdowne Road in the 2003-04 semi-finals, and Perpignan in the 2005-06 quarter-finals and, as with the all-Irish semi-final that followed, Lansdowne Road was sold out each time. Although the ticket share is split 50-50 between the teams, in the 2006 semi-final the Red Army invaded Lansdowne Road by two or three to one. Even if Munster were to earn a home semi-final against Harlequins, and allowing for the latter receiving 50 per cent of the tickets, the chances are that the Red Army would fill Croke Park anyway.

No other scenario for a Munster-Leinster semi-final is nearly as attractive. Under tournament rules, “home” semi-finalists are obliged to use a venue that is not their home ground and has a minimum capacity of 20,000.

Munster provisionally nominated the RDS and Leinster named Thomond Park prior to yesterday’s semi-final draw in Murrayfield, and so this raises the ridiculous prospect of Munster playing host to Leinster at the RDS.

While the IRFU could ask the ERC to grant a dispensation for Munster to hold a semi-final at the redeveloped Thomond Park, the argument for first asking the GAA if Croke Park could be hired is compelling. Because the profits from the gate receipts go to the ERC, this would limit the direct windfall for the IRFU or either of the provinces were an all-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park to come to pass. However, the increased marketing and revenue opportunities arising from an 80,000 capacity as opposed to one of 27,000 would be considerable.

So too would be the spin-offs for the local economy. The Munster-All Blacks match in November generated an estimated €6 million for Limerick, as well as €750,000 for the New Zealand Rugby Union and a six-figure profit for the Munster branch.

Bear in mind also that independent surveys have shown that a Six Nations game such as the Ireland-England match at Croke Park generated up to €50 million for the economy, and a sell-out in Croke Park might be up to three times as profitable for the general economy as a 27,000 or 20,000 sell-out in Limerick or the RDS.

Croke Park is also facing a €4 million drop in profits this year. The one-off rental of Croke Park is estimated to be almost €1.3 million, so were an approach be made to them, the GAA’s Central Council may find the reasons for opening Croke Park’s doors one more time even more compelling than they were when Rule 42 was relaxed in 2005.

The dates and times of the quarter-finals were also confirmed yesterday, and Munster have been handed a 1pm slot on Easter Sunday as the first half of a Sky Sports double-dealer with the Harlequins-Leinster tie to follow at 3pm. The Cardiff-Toulouse and Leicester-Bath games will take place the day before, with the winners of the latter also drawn away in the semi-finals.

[Proinsias]

Munster v Leinster semi-final showdown on cards for Croker

By Martin Breheny and Hugh Farrelly THE DRAW
Wednesday January 28 2009

THE GAA last night threw the ball into rugby's court over the possibility of staging the Heineken Cup semi-final in Croke Park in May.

If Munster and Leinster win their quarter-finals on April 12, they will clash in the semi-final on May 2 or 3 and, with Lansdowne Road still closed for redevelopment, the GAA say they would consider a request to stage the match in the 82,300-capacity Croke Park.

But, tournament organisers ERC claim such an approach would have to come from the IRFU and, if successful, would then be assessed accordingly.

Munster came out of yesterday's draw first which gives them the right to nominate the venue. However, according to tournament rules, they will not be allowed to use their home venue of Thomond Park and it's doubtful they'd want to play the match in Leinster's backyard at the RDS. A Leinster-Munster semi-final would be a sell-out in Croker, if it was available. Director-General Paraic Duffy said yesterday that it would be a matter for Central Council.

Simple

"This is the first I have heard of it, but it's very simple. We would have to be approached first to stage any event and from there the power lies with Central Council to make any decision," he said.

No major GAA fixtures are scheduled for Croke Park the weekend of May 2/3. The Allianz hurling league final is fixed for May 3, but is likely to follow the modern trend which has seen it played in Thurles or Limerick. No hurling league final has been played in Croke Park since 2003.

It's planned to carry out some routine work on the Croke Park pitch in early May, but it could be rescheduled if the stadium were required for the rugby. "We take our instructions on the use of Croke Park from Central Council," said Stadium Director Peter McKenna.

Since 2005, Central Council can approve rugby and soccer games in Croke Park until Lansdowne Road is fully redeveloped. A Leinster-Munster tie would almost certainly sell out Croke Park, earning the GAA a minimum of €1.4m in rent.

Should Munster win their home quarter-final against the Ospreys and Leinster triumph in their away clash against Harlequins, it would set up a rematch of the 2006 semi-final at a sold-out Lansdowne, which Munster won.