Leinster move on light issue

Leinster are in the process of solving one of their final problems before the move to the grounds at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) for some of their Celtic League and all their European Cup matches can be completed.

Any issues that existed concerning the pitch have been resolved but the height of the floodlights remains a concern before the Leinster team can finally nail down the deal and move to the greater-capacity ground.

Floodlights mounted on cherry picker cranes have been successfully used in Britain in the past for matches and that is how the province plan to solve the lighting problem in the new ground, where many of the games have an evening kick-off.

However, they must first ensure the lower-level lighting does not interfere with the quality of the television coverage of Sky and national broadcaster RTÉ. The brightness of the temporary floodlighting does not appear to be an issue but the direction and angle of light to the cameras has yet to be resolved.

"We are still in negotiations but a decision is imminent. There is no reason to suggest that the move will not take place," said a Leinster Branch spokesman yesterday. "The brightness is not an issue but the height is significant."

The move to Ballsbridge will bring up the ground capacity to around 14,000 and, importantly, the tickets will be largely pre-sold, therefore ensuring a known gate for each match.

Leinster are also in the process of moving from the unsuitable Portacabin set-up they have at Old Belvedere's ground at Anglesea Road. Offices and weight-training areas in the car-park of the ground at the back of the club house have been used over recent years as Leinster's primary location.

A planned move to the Riverview complex a few hundred yards up the road is now in train. The squad will continue to use the Old Belvedere pitch as well as the back pitch at Donnybrook for practise and training sessions but hope that a a move to Riverview, where they plan to triple the size of the current gym, will give Leinster a more modern training environment.