mens
United-rugby-championship
It will be the dawn of a new era for Leinster Rugby this weekend as they play their first BKT URC game at the refurbished Laya Arena.
The league champions welcome the runners-up Cardiff Rugby to their new-look home at the Royal Dublin Society on Saturday night, and a big crowd is expected for this landmark fixture.
As a result of the reconstruction, which cost €52 million and resulted in more than 220,000 working hours, the capacity is now up to 20,600 and the new Anglesea stand has 6,775.
Another good statistic is that the total distance of the seats, if laid end to end, would stretch 3.39 km. For those with local knowledge, it will take you all the way to the Ha’penny Bridge!
So, after two seasons at the Aviva Stadium, Leinster returned to the RDS, having signed a 25-year deal to use the Laya Arena for their home games.
Head coach Leo Cullen sees it as a very welcome move as he heads into his final season at the helm.
“You want a real club ground, with a real club feel, that’s a big thing,” he said.
“When you go to an international stadium, it’s very difficult to create a club feeling because you’re on a bus, you’re under a tunnel, it’s an international pitch.
“Here at Laya, there’s real engagement with the fans with everyone on top of each other. That’s how club rugby should be.”
“Kids who walk into the ground can actually see their heroes, whereas in bigger stadiums like the Aviva it’s always a bit further away.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’re very lucky to play there, but it’s not a club ground. The club is a big thing for me.”
Of the refurbishment project, he said: “A huge amount of work has gone into upgrading the venue and we look forward to building a strong relationship with our team and fans as we progress through the season.”
Adding his thoughts, assistant coach Emmett Farrell said: “The old RDS has had some great nights and we’re looking forward to some really big nights at the Laya Arena.”
Assessing the challenge presented by Cardiff, Farrell said: “It will be a big test. They are really good.”
“They are definitely the strongest Welsh side at the moment. They are increasing the depth of their squad with quality lads. So they are definitely a threat.”
“They beat us twice last year. They beat us in pre-season in Tallaght and then they beat us at the Arms Park later in the year. So they’ll be very confident.”
“They had a really strong start to the season.
“They won away from home in the Welsh derby, which is a big confidence booster, and they also had a nice comfortable win against Zebre.
“They look very strong. Their pack has been brilliant, their maul is going well.
“They have very good half-backs. Their tactical kicking is very strong, so we will have to be very confident at the back.”
“Their aerial game is very strong. They did a bit of work on us in Cardiff when they won a lot of competitions in the air. So we have to make sure we reverse that trend.”
He concluded: “They will come here full of confidence, which is a danger for us. They will have a good crack. They will have a good belief that they can do it.
“There will be no weekend curfews.”
Title holders Leinster will be looking for their first win of the URC season having lost their opening two games in South Africa – vs Lions and the Sharks – while picking up three lost bonus points as valuable consolation.
