Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread X: [****]

The Lost Sheep

RockBoysarewii wrote: »

If Tallaght Stadium is increased to 10,000 odd capacity and Dalymount Park gets renovated do you think there is any merit in having games played there?

Not really. Still too small.

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Might be nice to move Leinster A out of Donnybrook.

Would be very good to move A side out of Donnybrook but would be better to see A sides playing more in provincial venues. Bring Leinster across province

Exclamation Marc

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Might be nice to move Leinster A out of Donnybrook.

Given the money spent redeveloping Donnybrook only ten years ago, they won't move the As out of there. Also its ten minutes from Leinster HQ.

Rigor Mortis

I would suspect that part of the naming rights for Donnybrook will include guaranteed games for the leinster As

RockBoysarewii

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

Not really. Still too small.

Would be very good to move A side out of Donnybrook but would be better to see A sides playing more in provincial venues. Bring Leinster across province

Last season Leinsters lowest attendance was 10,000. I presume that was against Zebre or Kings. Could they not have those games in Tallaght Stadium.

What are the other stadiums in Leinster that could be used?

troyzer

RockBoysarewii wrote: »

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

Not really. Still too small.

Would be very good to move A side out of Donnybrook but would be better to see A sides playing more in provincial venues. Bring Leinster across province

Last season Leinsters lowest attendance was 10,000. I presume that was against Zebre or Kings. Could they not have those games in Tallaght Stadium.

What are the other stadiums in Leinster that could be used?

Well first you'd have to explain the value in paying the FAI to hire their stadium for a single game.

irishbucsfan

I don't think you could even fit half of Leinster season ticket holders' in Tallaght stadium

Serbian

RockBoysarewii wrote: »

Last season Leinsters lowest attendance was 10,000. I presume that was against Zebre or Kings. Could they not have those games in Tallaght Stadium.

What are the other stadiums in Leinster that could be used?

We have more than 10,000 season ticket holders alone. It’s impossible for Leinster to play in a stadium that small.

D14Rugby

troyzer wrote: »

Well first you'd have to explain the value in paying the FAI to hire their stadium for a single game.

The FAI wouldn't be paid anything. Only stadiums they have stakes in are Lansdowne Road and Drogheda.

Stadiums probably too small, with a 4th stand it's just over 10,000, fill in the corners and you've maybe got just over 12,000. Unless you maybe took some of the weaker teams out of the season ticket package and moved those games there, then if you sold out at 12,000 to 13,000 you might see some profitability in it but it's a lot of ifs.

D14Rugby

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I don't think you could even fit half of Leinster season ticket holders' in Tallaght stadium

Well you could quite easily the RDS isn't that big.

troyzer

D14Rugby wrote: »

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I don't think you could even fit half of Leinster season ticket holders' in Tallaght stadium

Well you could quite easily the RDS isn't that big.

There are 13,000 season ticket holders.

Tallaght's listed capacity is less than half of that. Even if you shoehorn in a few extra temporary stands you probably still wouldn't get there. You certainly wouldn't be able to get it to a point where you could start selling extra tickets.

troyzer

Gerry Thornley is reporting that McGrath has done a knee ligament.

That could be curtains for his season. Really unfortunate, he's probably not going to make the plane to Japan now.

irishbucsfan

D14Rugby wrote: »

Well you could quite easily the RDS isn't that big.

The RDS is 3x bigger than Tallaght Stadium at least.

troyzer

https://twitter.com/leinsterrugby/status/1030387544725352450

And from the Tallaght Stadium wiki page:

Temporary seating has been constructed at the stadium three times—once for a club friendly against Real Madrid which gave the ground a temporary capacity of 10,900[5] again before the 2009 FAI Cup Final, giving the ground a temporary capacity of 8,500[6] and for Rovers' games in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage.

I can't imagine they'd get much more than that 10,900 which means that they'd be doing really well just to get the season ticket holders in.

The whole point of playing in a different stadium is to either get fans in who struggle to make it to the home stadium as is the case with Munster and Musgrave or to try and attract new fans.

Tallaght is only a few KMs from the RDS so it's not the first reason. And while I can see the value in holding a match in a much more working class area not known for being a rugby stronghold, they won't be able to sell any tickets for the reasons I've already mentioned.

Does anyone know how Munster manage the Cork game? Is it excluded from the season ticket?

troyzer

This is what that 2009 FAI cup final looked like by the way. Don't know how you'd get an extra few thousand in.

salmocab

There has to be more seats than season tickets, I would have thought that was obvious. There also has to be room to sell some tickets, there is no point in moving to another ground for a game if they can’t take advantage of the novelty for a new area.
There is also a contract in place with the RDS that means they can’t move.
I think but aren’t positive that the pitch in Dalymount is to be synthetic so that wouldn’t be a runner anyway for any games at any level

Burkie1203

troyzer wrote: »

This is what that 2009 FAI cup final looked like by the way. Don't know how you'd get an extra few thousand in.

There is a new permanent stand under construction at the far end from that pic at the moment.

troyzer

Burkie1203 wrote: »

There is a new permanent stand under construction at the far end from that pic at the moment.

What's that due to bring the capacity up to?

There have been Ireland A and Leinster pre season games there before apparently.

irishbucsfan

Burkie1203 wrote: »

There is a new permanent stand under construction at the far end from that pic at the moment.

I've been to multiple games there this year (have a friend who plays there in another sport) and that stand appears to be going up extremely slowly!

The permanent capacity after they add that stand will still only be 8k or so, and it's not particularly great at holding a full house

(Just to be clear the stand at the end in that picture was a temporary stand, they'd need to add that back in as well and even with that they wouldn't be able to fit in 80% of season ticket holders)

Squidgy Black

troyzer wrote: »

Does anyone know how Munster manage the Cork game? Is it excluded from the season ticket?

Believe they split their season tickets into 3 packages, European Cup, Thomond, and Independent Park.

troyzer

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Believe they split their season tickets into 3 packages, European Cup, Thomond, and Independent Park.

Yeah, just looking at it now.

Bit pricey aren't they?

Suspected knee ligament injury for Luke McGrath according to Thornley in the Times.

The extent of Luke McGrath’s injury will be confirmed by Leinster this week but the scrumhalf is understood to have sustained a knee ligament injury which is liable to rule him out of Leinster’s final pool game against Wasps next Sunday and at least the start of the Six Nations.

If this is the case we won't see him until the World Cup and it cruelly put's his chances of travelling to Japan in real jeopardy.

troyzer

Deleted User wrote: »

Suspected knee ligament injury for Luke McGrath according to Thornley in the Times.


If this is the case we won't see him until the World Cup and it cruelly put's his chances of travelling to Japan in real jeopardy.

Yeah, was just saying that. Will Connors did his back in August and we haven't heard a peep out of him.

I honestly think that's it for McGrath. He'll be out for the entire Six Nations and possibly the rest of the Leinster season as well. He'd need a lights out world cup warm up campaign to make it.

He was always going to be third choice scrumhalf competing with Cooney who is more versatile. And that's assuming Joe even takes three scrumhalves which is no guarantee.

whatawaster

Deleted User wrote: »

Suspected knee ligament injury for Luke McGrath according to Thornley in the Times.


If this is the case we won't see him until the World Cup and it cruelly put's his chances of travelling to Japan in real jeopardy.

Not necessarily - if it is his cruciate ligament - yeah, he's probably done.

But a medial ligament injury is much more minor and might only see him out for a few weeks.

troyzer

whatawaster wrote: »

Not necessarily - if it is his cruciate ligament - yeah, he's probably done.

But a medial ligament injury is much more minor and might only see him out for a few weeks.

You're right of course. I had a partial MCL tear a few years ago and I was training again less than two months later.

Having said that, I wasn't lying there crippled on the pitch when it happened and I was just about able to walk off on my own. McGrath looked worse than that.

Eod100

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Believe they split their season tickets into 3 packages, European Cup, Thomond, and Independent Park.

3 packages but think it's TP, IP and Europe, TP and Europe and IP and Europe. Don't think it's possible to just buy tickets to Pro 14 games in 1 venue say. Only the 4 games usually in Cork and 6/7 in Limerick so bundled with Europe matches afaik.

stephen_n

There are 12,500 season ticket holders, so unless a ground has at least a 15,000 capacity there is absolutely no conversation to be had. Not to mention existing contracts with the RDS. Pre season or A games are the only ones that can be moved.

When is Nick McCarthy due back?

troyzer

stephen_n wrote: »

There are 12,500 season ticket holders, so unless a ground has at least a 15,000 capacity there is absolutely no conversation to be had. Not to mention existing contracts with the RDS. Pre season or A games are the only ones that can be moved.

When is Nick McCarthy due back?

It was a 12 week injury at the time so probably the end of February/start of March.

D14Rugby

irishbucsfan wrote: »

The RDS is 3x bigger than Tallaght Stadium at least.

It's just not at all

troyzer wrote: »

There are 13,000 season ticket holders.

Tallaght's listed capacity is less than half of that. Even if you shoehorn in a few extra temporary stands you probably still wouldn't get there. You certainly wouldn't be able to get it to a point where you could start selling extra tickets.

Tallaght's capacity is 8,000 and last time I checked that's greater than half of 13,000. These aren't hard things to check lads.

Buer

stephen_n wrote: »

When is Nick McCarthy due back?

He should be back at some point during the 6N. He was given a 12 week estimate in the press release back in early December. That should give some decent opportunities to Hugh O'Sullivan.

JGP to lead the charge but I'd be eager to afford HOS/PP some game time to allow them some experience as well as protect JGP from any potential injuries himself.

troyzer

D14Rugby wrote: »

It's just not at all



Tallaght's capacity is 8,000 and last time I checked that's greater than half of 13,000. These aren't hard things to check lads.

Tallaght's capacity is 6,000 as it stands right now with permanent seating. The RDS is over 18,000 with permanent and temporary (which is permanent for all of Leinster's intents and purposes).