Leinster face date and venue switch

Leinster could play their Heineken European Cup semi-final on Sunday, April 13th, at Lansdowne Road. European Rugby Cup Ltd (ERC) will confirm the dates, venues and television arrangements for the quarter-finals later this week.

The Leinster executive will conduct a formal meeting today - there have already been informal talks between coach Matt Williams and officials - to copper-fasten their proposals for their clash with Biarritz. They will then discuss those with ERC.

Traditionally Leinster play their home ties at Donnybrook on Friday nights and that is the venue favoured by the players and management for the quarter-final but the 7,000 capacity is some way short of what will be required to meet ticketing commitments.

Biarritz are entitled to a quarter of the ticket allocation, Heineken and subsidiary sponsors to 800 premium tickets (stand) and Leinster would face a commitment to their supporters club. Given that the only stand has a capacity of 1,100 seats it doesn't seem feasible.

Williams's preferred option is, if the Friday night at Donnybrook is a non-runner, to stage the match at Lansdowne Road on the Sunday. The likelihood is that Leinster would manage to generate a bigger attendance, especially among the younger generation, although a crowd of over 30,000 would be required to generate any sort of atmosphere.

Television concerns would also seem to favour the Sunday option, thereby providing the opportunity for none of the four matches to overlap, guaranteeing maximum exposure. Llanelli's game against Perpignan at Stradey Park seems certain to be sanctioned for the Friday night, a decision that would be agreeable to the Welsh club.

The match would be televised by BBC Wales and British Eurosport, two of five broadcasters involved in the negotiations. French television is contracted to cover two quarter-finals while RTÉ want to screen the Munster and Leinster games live and preferably not on the same day.

BBC has a commitment to cover the Rugby League Challenge Cup final on Saturday, April 12th, and they also want to transmit live the Leicester-Munster clash at Welford Road. To fulfil those obligations they would push for an early kick-off to the repeat of last year's European Cup final.

This would pave the way for the Toulouse-Northampton game to go ahead also on the Saturday with a mid-afternoon starting time. French television would screen the game live with BBC and RTÉ taking highlights.

RTÉ would object to any late kick-off time for either Munster or Leinster on the Saturday as it would clash with their Premiership soccer programme.

They would probably prefer an Irish province to be in action on the Sunday and this would also suit French television's desire to transmit live two of the quarter-finals. ERC will consider the wishes of all eight clubs and the five broadcasters involved in the negotiations before finalising the fixtures.

They are also set to make the draw for the semi-finals at Lansdowne Road - also the venue for the final - next Monday so that the teams will be aware of an exact route to the final.

Meanwhile, former Queensland, Old Belvedere and Stade Francais coach John Connolly has suggested in an interview with BBC Wales that Leinster won't win the competition. Connolly, in charge of the Swansea team whom the Irish province thrashed twice in the pool stages, feels that Toulouse will ultimately prevail.

"I don't think Leinster will win it, no. They are a very confrontational side, but we (Swansea) lost to them more than they beat us. They've got a good home draw in the quarter-final (against Biarritz) and a 50-50 chance of a semi in Ireland if they get through.

"The final's in Dublin, so if they're ever going to win it this could be their year. But I'd be surprised. Toulouse are a dangerous side and are so frightening. They're not so strong in the tight five this year after losing (Christian) Califano and (Franck) Tournaire, but they're pretty formidable. Leicester also play Test-match rugby, but they're not so strong in the backs."