Don’t rip off our fans with ticket prices for Croker semi, pleads Cullen

Leo Cullen has issued a warning to Champions Cup organisers EPCR not to price tickets for Leinster’s Croke Park semi-final against Northampton Saints too high.

The province will play at the 82,300-capacity home of the GAA for the first time since their famous win over Munster in 2009 when they welcome the English side on Saturday, May 4 (5.30).

EPCR will release the ticket details later this week and are already under pressure to get the strategy right to get as many bums on seats as possible.

Leinster sold out their quarter-final against La Rochelle at the Aviva despite a short turnaround and had 41,000 at their last-16 win over Leicester Tigers.

EPCR organise the semi-finals and finals and were criticised for their pricing and strategy of allocating tickets for last year’s semi-final between Leinster and Toulouse, which didn’t sell out at the Aviva.

Northampton’s capacity to bring a large travelling support will depend on room availability on the bank holiday weekend. Last season, most Leicester fans took the overnight ferry home rather than brave the Dublin hotel market.

The Aviva is unavailable this time around due to the preparations for the Europa League final, so Cullen is hoping for a big crowd at Croke Park.

“It’s over to the Leinster fans because we’ve had amazing support today and amazing support last week. If you get a big crowd there, it’s a great thing. It’s a special occasion,” he said after the 40-13 win over Ronan O’Gara’s team.

“Hopefully EPCR price the tickets appropriately for an 82,000 venue because you want a big crowd, don’t you? Obviously, it’s an EPCR event, not a Leinster event. You want to entice people to be there, to make it a special occasion, rather than rip people off. You don’t want to rip people off.

“Hopefully, we get a big crowd. If we turn up there (Croke Park) and (there are) 20,000 people . . . (while) 20,000 is a lot of people, in an 82,000-capacity stadium, it’s a different kettle of fish, isn’t it?”

In the other semi-final, Toulouse face Harlequins on May 5. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosts the final on May 25.