Connacht to extend capacity for Leinster clashes

Connacht are to extend capacity at The Sportsground to accommodate the demand for tickets for their upcoming URC and Heineken Champions Cup games against Leinster.

The sides meet in the last-16 of Europe on Saturday 8 April in Galway (8pm) before the return fixture in the Aviva Stadium (5.30pm) on 15 April.

Their round-14 meeting in the United Rugby Championship takes place on Saturday 26 March (live on RTÉ2).

The terraces will be located in the Bohermore Road and College Road ends and will bring the capacity at the venue up to 8,129.

This marks the first time additional terracing will be installed at the ground since before the Covid-19 pandemic, when 8,129 were in attendance for the Heineken Champions Cup meeting with Toulouse in January 2020.

"We have seen an incredible demand for tickets for these two huge games, so we are making every effort to ensure we can accommodate as many supporters as possible," said head of commercial and marketing Philip Patterson.

"These extended terraces will allow for an additional 4,000 fans across both fixtures.

"The passion and enthusiasm from our loyal supporters remains as strong as ever.

"We would strongly encourage all supporters who are planning to attend to book their tickets as soon as possible."

Follow all of Ireland's Six Nations games via our live blogs on rte.ie/sport and on the RTÉ News App or listen to live radio coverage on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch live coverage of England v Ireland on Saturday (4.45pm) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.