Ban on fans drinking alcohol at seats during Leinster semi-final

Fans at the European Champions Cup semi-final between Leinster and Northampton Saints on May 4 will not be allowed to consume alcohol at their seats.

Rugby fans are typically allowed to bring alcoholic drinks back to their seats at the Aviva Stadium, however, event organisers European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have said GAA rules will remain in place for the first rugby match to take place at Croke Park since 2009.

GAA fixtures at Croke Park typically would not allow fans to bring alcoholic drinks bought at a stadium bar back to their seats.

“EPCR will be respecting the GAA’s rules and regulations regarding alcohol consumption in the stadium bowl for the Investec Champions Cup semi-final between Leinster Rugby and Northampton Saints at Croke Park on May 4,” an EPCR spokesperson said.

The IRFU considered stopping the sale of alcohol during matches at the Aviva Stadium following criticism from some fans over other attendees going to and from the bar while the game was ongoing. However, the decision was taken to continue selling alcohol during games following a survey of fans last year.

Meanwhile, there will be disruption for Dart users on match day due to scheduled engineering works over the weekend of the game.

Dart services will not operate between Grand Canal Dock and Bray across the May bank holiday weekend from Saturday, May 4 to Monday, May 6.

There will be a capacity crowd of 82,300 descending on GAA HQ for Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final after tickets sold out within hours of going on sale last Friday, with many planning to travel to the match by train.

Due to engineering works scheduled for that weekend, Dart services will only operate between Howth/Malahide and Grand Canal Dock.

Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland will accept valid rail tickets on services between stations closed for train service.

“We choose selected bank holiday weekends to undertake projects of significant scale – the extra weekend day allows us to achieve more progress more efficiently, while avoiding impacting those crucial weekday customers,” a statement on the Irish Rail website reads.

Last week, Leinster announced they will play the majority of their home fixtures at the Aviva Stadium next year while a €50m reconstruction project gets under way at the RDS.