URC Grand Final sold out with 55,000 tickets snapped up

Munster will have to deal with a raucous Cape Town crowd in their BKT United Rugby Championship Grand Final next week, after tickets for next week's decider between the province and the Stormers sold out in less than three hours.

All 55,000 tickets for the 27 May decider at DHL Stadium were snapped up, which will ensure a record attendance for a URC final.

And while there will be a travelling contingent of Munster fans, the geography involved and price of travel will see the red supporters considerably outnumbered.

The province will depart early next week for what will be their third trip to South Africa in less than two months, having taken on the Sharks in early April in the Heineken Champions Cup, before returning to the country two weeks later, picking up a win and a draw against the Stormers and Sharks which kickstarted their run to the final.

Next week's final will see a considerably different atmosphere for Graham Rowntree's side to contend with, though.

Their 26-24 victory in Cape Town in April was watched by around 15,000 people, with more than three times as many tickets being sold for the final.

The Stormers have received a lot of praise for their ticket-pricing for the final, with some available for as little 80 Rand - which converts to €3.82 - and it will see them pack out a stadium which they have often struggled to fill.

It's the second year in a row that the Western Province franchise have had home advantage in the final, defeating the Bulls 18-13 in front of 31,000 people in June of last year.

Meanwhile, it's reported that former Munster prop James French will sign for Ulster next season.

The 24-year-old tighthead departed the province in recent months having found first team opportunities limited, and the