'We as a club are all aligned' - Van Graan says players understand tough Aviva Stadium decision

Johann van Graan says everyone at Munster is 'aligned' with the decision to play their home Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Toulouse at the Aviva Stadium.

Munster were forced to give up home advantage for the neutral setting of the Aviva, with two Ed Sheeran concerts at Thomond Park on 5 and 6 May, making the pitch unplayable for the quarter-final weekend.

In a statement on Sunday, Munster Rugby's Chief Operating Officer admitted that the possibility of a clash existed when they booked the concerts last September, it was a risk the organisation had to take, after the financial impact of Covid-19.

And yesterday, head coach Van Graan echoed those comments, saying he and his players back the decision.

"We love to play at Thomond Park. Saturday evening was again an incredible European experience. Our supporters are always there. You just have to look at two weeks ago in Exeter, the way they turned up. That was magic on Saturday in Thomond Park.

"However, we as a club are all aligned.

"This decision was taken two years back. We had to cut some big players from Munster Rugby because of budget constraints.

"We have staff redundancies so this decision was taken at a time where not only ourselves but a lot of people across rugby in the world had to make big decisions in terms of their future. So we're going to embrace the Aviva, we've played there before.

"In terms of our supporters, they are fantastic. The ones that can be there, will be there. The ones that can’t make us, will be with us. We’ve got a fantastic support base at Munster Rugby, whether in the province, in Ireland, or all across the world.

"We certainly would have loved to have played at Thomond Park. but as a club we’re going to embrace the Aviva and the