Ulster v La Rochelle has been moved to Dublin due to concerns over playing surface

Ulster’s Champions Cup clash against French side La Rochelle on Saturday evening has been moved from Belfast to Dublin.

The Irish province were informed by tournament organisers EPCR on Friday that the following day’s European fixture against the in-form champions cannot be played at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast “due to concerns over the safety of the playing surface”.

The match will now be played behind closed doors in the RDS in Dublin, according to reports.

After being held to nil for the first time in Europe in last Sunday’s 39-0 pasting at Sale Sharks, Ulster must now gather themselves to avoid back to back defeats in their opening two matches of the campaign.

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In the build up to that defeat, Ulster had to contend with numerous travel disruptions due to the weather conditions: originally due to fly on Saturday, they couldn’t as Manchester Airport closed two runways due to snow in the northwest of England. The flight, delayed several times, was eventually cancelled.

[ Planes, no trains and some automobiles as provinces suffer travel trouble ]

Returning to Belfast International Airport on Sunday morning ahead of a lunchtime kick-off at the AJ Bell Stadium, the Ulster squad split into two groups and flew to Birmingham and Liverpool before making on onward journey to Manchester.

Ulster have been boosted by the return to fitness of skipper Iain Henderson and John Cooney, while Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle are a team in form after scoring six tries in eviscerating Northampton last time out.