French not sold on away-day final idea

RUGBY: In France they have no salary cap restrictions, which may in some part explain why Irish lock Mick O'Driscoll, Harlequin and England wing Dan Luger, Australian centre Daniel Herbert and possibly 29-year-old England back Tim Stimpson are all bound for Perpignan.

Like Heineken European Cup final opponents Toulouse, whose entire team and bench are internationals, Perpignan do not appear short of money, and while the ERC wait nervously to see if Irish fans will bail them out of a potentially embarrassing Cup final day at Lansdowne Road, it is something of a mystery why the supporters from both clubs are showing such a reluctance to travel to Ireland.

In Perpignan, the ticket prices for their French championship match last weekend against Agen in Stade Aime Giral ranged from a26 down to a a7.50. For the European Cup final, it is a30 more for the most expensive seat and the fans just don't seem interested.

While the Catalan president of Perpignan, Marcel Dagrenat, lavishly praised the venue - "If we are not playing in France, the next best place is Ireland. They (the Irish) are very similar to us." - Munster fans could be forgiven for thinking he is actually talking nonsense.

Mick Galwey and David Humphreys yesterday mused over their experiences in Europe. Galwey has been within a finger-tip of the trophy a number of times while Humphreys has been there just once and grabbed his opportunity.

"From a Munster point of view the Heineken Cup has really caught the imagination. The semi-final this year against Toulouse was our fourth semi-final in France in a row, which is phenomenal," said Galwey. "We haven't really got the breaks as far as the draw is concerned but we've a fantastic following. I think we'd something like 40,000 people in Cardiff last year.

"Someone mentioned it to me that it was the biggest exodus of people out of the country for a sporting occasion ever. People can go to internationals or Cheltenham, or wherever, but that weekend was the biggest.

"I think it's definitely the occasion that attracts people. Okay, they love rugby, but a lot of people would be GAA people, just ordinary sports followers who love the occasion. It's a bit of everything. You talk to people who have been there and they all want to go back again."

Humphreys, who along with Galwey and Leicester's Geordan Murphy will play with the Barbarians next week, sees the Ulster run in the European Cup as a turning point in the province's fortunes as regards support.

"I think you've only got to look back to that European Cup campaign in 1999," says Humphreys. "I think before that we'd only about 300 or 400 people turning up. Then subsequent to that, even though we lost all six Pool games, we still had crowds of around 10,000 supporting us. That started the interest."

The choosing of the final venue before the two finalists are known has been criticised and the principle reason the ERC could not pull out of Lansdowne Road once direct Irish involvement had ended was because the organisation was already tied into agreements for the Dublin venue.

"It's such a big competition you have to chose the venue before knowing who the teams are in the final from the point of view of travel and accommodation and all that goes around it," says Galwey.

"We weren't complaining when we were in the final at Twickenham or in Cardiff, it was just great to be there. From a player point of view, it is just not an issue. I don't know about Leinster, but I could guarantee you Munster would have about 20,000 supporters going to the match if we had to travel to Toulouse for a final."

The decision-making process regarding the final venue will be reviewed in the close season, according to ERC representative Diarmuid Murphy.

"Every decision taken, especially the bigger ones, are reviewed on an annual basis. Obviously, we'll look at it again this year. I stand on record as saying it is an ambitious strategy and it is receiving a severe test. But the thinking behind it is sound in that you do need a nine-month build up," said Murphy.

"We are trying to create the best possible stage for a final, and while we will review it I won't predict the outcome. That will be down to the board of the ERC. I do think also that two French teams in the final is as hard a sell as we could have asked for."

As for the experience of playing in and winning a final, Humphreys recalled: "I just remember the atmosphere of the final. I couldn't really tell you much about the game itself."

As for this year's decider, Galwey argued there was much to savour for Irish fans. "It's a spectacle," said Galwey. "You are seeing a lot of French internationals players. I know for a fact that a lot of people from around Barnhall and Dublin went over to support Trevor (Brennan) when they were playing against Munster. I think there will be thousands of people there just because Trevor is playing. You also have Phil Murphy, the Perpignan number eight, who played on the Irish Schools team."