Many believed it would be an impossible feat for Leinster to pack the Aviva Stadium to its restricted capacity of 22,300 in the early URC season, particularly for matches against the likes of Dragons and Lions. Whilst their inaugural home match ‘in exile’ at the Aviva against the Dragons didn’t reach full capacity, the 18,200-strong crowd still represented a sell-out when compared to the RDS. It is striking that this audience outnumbers by 6,000 the crowd that attended the most recent Dragons match at the RDS.
Moreover, when the Lions last graced the RDS in February 2022, a contest Leinster won 21-13, the crowd numbered 10,469. This figure will be more than doubled at Saturday’s match; a truly remarkable turn of events. These impressive crowds, along with the staggering 81,000-plus fans who convened at Croke Park for the Munster clash, boost Leinster’s average attendance this season to over 40,500.
The surges in attendance at Aviva Stadium for Leinster games suggest that potential ticket buyers highly value spectator comfort. Even on rainy winter nights in February, Aviva provides a more comfortable and sheltered environment than the RDS, where remaining seats after season ticket sales are located on uncovered ends of the arena.
Leinster’s increasing allure this season, illustrated in the unleashing of star Irish internationals like Garry Ringrose, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Ryan, and Jack Conan from day one in Edinburgh, also likely impacts attendance. It is quite probable that countless spectators had secured their tickets for the Dragons match in hopes of witnessing RG Snyman’s inaugural outing.
The intriguing team selection for the third-round challenge at Treviso, which saw Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong, Snyman and Caelan Doris kick off their seasons, gave a boost to ticket sales for the game at Croke Park. This clearly shows that the unveiling of numerous high-profile International players early in the season has aroused enthusiasm amongst Leinster fans, differing from usual season trends.
Snyman, with his impressive record at Munster and the Springboks, combined with his exceptional athleticism and performance, has undeniably been a key attraction.
The excitement increases as Jordie Barrett is yet to join!
Moreover, showcasing Barrett’s fitness via training videos with the All Blacks this week is sure to amplify ticket sales for the Leinster’s second Champions Cup group match against Clermont Auvergne at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, December 14th, set to start at 5.30pm.
For this game, the stadium will be completely accessible, with ticket sales already surpassing 25,000.
It’s also apparent that most of the Leinster followers have wholeheartedly embraced the squad rotation strategy, duly acknowledging their privilege in backing a team with an unprecedented pool of home-grown talent.
A grand part of Leo Cullen’s extraordinary skills is efficiently managing the immense talent Leinster has to offer. He implemented seven modifications for the second match against the Dragons, another 12 for Benetton, just three for the Munster encounter (which speaks volumes), seven for the voyage to Connacht, and an additional nine for this Lions’ game.
Summing up, by Saturday night, after Robbie Henshaw and Cormac Foley marking the start of their competitive seasons, Leinster would have involved 47 players, including eight academy players (with five making the cut for this round six challenge) across their six opening games.
Enthusiasts of Leinster understand that when academy players get their opportunity, they are typically witnessing future players of global calibre. As James Culhane rationalised not long ago, it is usually not a great distance to the next level once a young individual makes it into the Leinster squad.
Take Sam Prendergast as an example, who scored the winning penalty in his first match and was named man of the match in April 2023 against the Lions. He is back in the starting line-up against them after proving himself with Emerging Ireland.
It’s worth noting that when Jamie Osborne took on the position of outside centre in the victory over the Lions in February 2022, he was only part of the Leinster sub-academy. However, in less than three years, he was a starting fullback for Ireland in a memorable victory against the Springboks.
To top it off, Leinster is striving to expand their lead at the top of the table. They aim to maintain a flawless run in this initial set of six matches. Naturally, their top-notch performance plays a large part in their success.