Munster face a vision of the future in Paris

Racing’s new indoor stadium has potential to elevate them into a European superpower

IN terms of European travel, Munster have amassed vast experience over the years.

Eighty-nine matches at 49 different grounds in 38 cities across eight countries underpins the rich tapestry of Munster’s exploits over 23 European Cup seasons.

You’d think with all that travelling the province would have experienced it all on its multiple away-day adventures. However, their latest Parisian visit will today throw up something new – a 32,000 capacity indoor stadium they have never seen the like of before.

They, of course, have previously played under a roof. Their three Millennium Stadium deciders are focal points in their colourful history. But this afternoon’s venue in the western suburbs of the French capital is soemthing different.

A permanent dome with no retractable roof. No grass pitch, either, but some incredible creature comforts. There is a 400-square metre video screen that runs the entire length behind one of the in-goal areas, broadcasting live tweets of spectators, statistics, footage and so on. And there is also a movable stand that can increase seated capacity to 40,000 for musical events. Snazzy.

The €360million build has an earnings potential set to be the envy of European club rugby due to its multi-purpose use. Thirty annual non-Racing events, entertainments of all kinds, is the plan, diversification that already saw The Rolling Stones rock the joint on opening night and the French rugby team give the 4G surface its first spin in a November draw with Japan.

Only last month did Racing get their maiden run, an attendance of 29,347 packing in a few days before Christmas to see them beat Toulouse. That number significantly dropped last Sunday to 19,263 when Clermont were destroyed by 58-6.

However, with adult tickets selling for as low as €8 for the ground’s Champions Cup baptism today, Munster could find themselves enduring a partisan atmosphere in stark contrast to their previous Racing visit 12 months ago.

Before the bells and whistles of Jacky Lorenzetti’s pride and joy were unveiled, the Parisians played out of what had effectively become a dump. Stade Colombes looked the part for the 1924 Olympics and went on to host the 1938 World Cup soccer final and multiple Five Nations rugby matches until 1972.

But it had since become a crumbling relic, an embarrassment not fit for Racing’s on-pitch riches. Vintage terracing out of bounds for safety reasons, a dilapidated main stand in front of a tattered running track and a makeshift temporary stand left much to be desired for chic loving Parisians who want more of the glitzy image the club presents in its shop located within sight of the Arc de Triomphe.

Despite an average league attendance last season of 10,497, Colombes’ rundown complexion and lack of atmosphere created the perfect storm for an emotional Munster to blitz Racing a year ago. Twenty-five points was the margin as the Reds returned to the city where head coach Anthony Foley had tragically passed away some months earlier.

Now, though, the dynamics have altered as property magnate Lorenzetti, the 70-year-old billionaire owner who took over in 2006 when the club languished in the second division, has accomplished a dream long in the making.

There were 23 appeals against the building permit before the first stone was laid on February 10, 2014. But now the ground is operational, ready for Munster and many, many more glamour matches as Racing look to capture the imagination of a capital city population traditionally indifferent to rugby.

This laissez-faire attitude was evident when Racing last tried to make a big deal of a Munster visit, switching an October 2012 pool encounter to the national team’s Stade de France. Racing won that match, Munster conceding two late soft penalties, but the 30,000-plus attendance weren’t in a hurry to seek out further action over at Colombes.

Now, though, the punters have no excuses. Racing have a slick venue to woo the masses and keep them repeatedly coming back. Not just for rugby, but for everything else too and if the venue succeeds, which contrasts with Munster’s limited cash flow that resulted in their repayment of an IRFU stadium redevelopment being pushed out until 2027.

So overjoyed was big-spending Lorenzetti with the U Arena’s completion, he confessed to kissing his wife on seeing Mick Jagger take the stage and the Stones strut their stuff. ‘We shook loudly, exchanged a kiss and shed some tears. It was the emotion and the nerves that cracked. After nine years of fighting (to build U Arena), a lot of things had accumulated. All the tension was released.’

As soon as the property magnate bought Racing 12 years ago, the owner knew the club had to aspire to a new ground if this business of rugby was ever to make financial sense. ‘Looking at the balance sheet, I said to myself: this is not possible, the economy of rugby can hardly do without a real recipe in terms of ticketing.

‘But at Racing, it was catastrophic.

The second thought was to say: why not look for other resources, beyond the fans, by making a project, a theatre in this case where the recipes would be much wider than those of rugby? The U Arena is also a new identity for Racing and a strong page of its history that opens.’

The Clermont trouncing was a showcase for how they now want to play the sport in an exciting fastpaced fashion that will leave the galleries shouting for more.

‘After the Stones, it was our turn,’ enthused joint team boss Laurent Labit. ‘We waited for this for months, but we have been preparing it for a very long time too. We have changed our game, focused our recruitment on guys who able to play standing up and meet the demands of the synthetic surface. Everything now goes much faster.’

No wind, no rain. Racing’s stars are finally in their element.