Munster's victory over Castres at Musgrave Park on Saturday has secured them a home quarter-final against Biarritz at Thomond Park on Sunday (2.45). It is one of the two matches on Sunday, the other being the Leicester match, although their opponents are not yet confirmed.
European Rugby Cup Ltd (ERC) met the host broadcasters of the tournament yesterday to thrash out the details. Television, rather than the home sides, dictated when and on what day the matches are played.
The French television network FR2 wanted the Munster-Biarritz match played on Sunday, which would allow them to broadcast the Stade Francais match 24 hours earlier. RTE agreed to that arrangement and so the game will take place on Sunday in Limerick.
The postponement of the Bath-Newport game to tomorrow has thrown the quarter-final draw into some confusion. Only the Munster-Biarritz, Gloucester-Cardiff games have been confirmed. It merely compounded the problems that ERC and the broadcasters faced in reaching an agreement.
What is certain is that Munster's game will take place in Thomond Park and that the capacity has been set at 13,300. The clubs in Munster will receive 6,000 tickets for the game, youths and schools committees 400. Tickets will also be made available to the Munster Supporters Club. Biarritz will receive an unspecified number, while 25 per cent of all ticket categories, under the rules of the competition, must be made available to tournament sponsors and broadcasters.
Temporary seating will be installed (1,300 seats) in Thomond Park, which will double the seating capacity: the permanent stand can accommodate 1,200. The remainder of the tickets will go on sale to the public tomorrow morning (10.0 a.m.) from the Munster Branch offices at Penrose Wharf, Cork, and Thomond Park. Prices start at £5 for a limited number of schoolboy tickets, while terrace tickets are £10 and stand tickets £15.
Munster coach Declan Kidney is hoping that his Leinster counterpart, Matt Williams, returned from Biarritz at the weekend armed with a video of the game. "Hopefully Leinster will have a copy with them because I don't think there were any television cameras at the match. They're obviously a good side to have made this stage of the competition."
For his part the Leinster captain and former Munsterman Liam Toland, still livid with the blinkered and incompetent refereeing of Giovanni Morandin in Biarritz on Saturday night, couldn't resist a more unequivocal response.
"Munster will hammer them," he told a French journalist, before being obliged to explain what hammer meant. "Munster will win that game," he repeated. "I think that Leinster are a couple of seasons behind Munster in their development. Physically and mentally Munster are two or three seasons ahead of us, and definitely Biarritz's strength is in the maul, particularly in the lineout, and I think Munster will handle that very easily."
To compound a miserable night, Brian O'Driscoll emerged as a major concern for the Irish management. "He jarred it," said a concerned Irish assistant coach Eddie O'Sullivan as O'Driscoll walked by with an ice pack on his right shoulder. He will have a scan today. This will prevent him from taking part in Ireland's get-together in Limerick today and tomorrow.
Furthermore, Shane Horgan's troublesome ankle was at him again after the match, while O'Sullivan confirmed that Paul Wallace would be sidelined for about three months after dislocating and fracturing a bone in his ankle. Emmet Byrne has been added to the squad.
Quarter-final draw
Stade Francaisv Pau/Bath*
Leicesterv Swansea
Munsterv Biarritz
Gloucesterv Cardiff
* Bath will take Pau's place only if they score 11 tries or more against Newport tomorrow. Ties to be played on January 26th, 27th and 28th.
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