Irate Munster fans have accused Irish Rugby Football Union officials of inadequate organisation after tickets went on sale yesterday for the Heineken European Cup match against Wasps at Lansdowne Road.
The queue at Thomond Park in Limerick started forming at 5 p.m. on Wednesday for the coveted tickets, and by 9.30 p.m. yesterday an estimated 4,000 people lined the route to the ground.
Some 3,000 tickets were on sale to members of the public at Thomond Park yesterday, with an allocation of just two per person. Up to half of the people who queued for match tickets - many of them overnight - went home empty-handed.
The majority were shocked to find that, once they got into the ground, there were just two ticket vendors from the Munster branch to cope with the hordes scrambling for tickets.
Fans were also angered as news filtered through that the Leinster branch at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, where tickets also went on sale yesterday, were allocating six tickets per person compared to two in Limerick.
One man who had queued with his wife and three children since the early hours in the wind and rain was strongly critical of the organisation of the ticket sales.
"It's nothing less that an absolute disgrace. We have been here since 5 a.m. and we still haven't been allowed past the turnstiles. There has to be a better way to organise the ticket sales," said Mr Phil Ryan from Cratloe, Co Clare.
Munster branch officials had distributed several hundred free pizzas to fans outside the ground overnight, but even this gesture didn't quell their anger.
Many also complained of queue-jumping, with people arriving late and teaming up with friends to get tickets.
One Munster fan who had more success was 16-year-old Katie McCloskey from Corbally who had joined the queue at 6 p.m on Wednesday.
She was one of a group from the Shannon RFC ladies' team who had braved the overnight elements provided with deckchairs, sleeping bags and refuse sacks to keep dry.
"I'm just delighted to get my two tickets, but I feel really sorry for all the people who have been here for hours who won't get any," she said.
Meanwhile, an estimated 2,000 fans queued for tickets at Musgrave Park in Cork yesterday, with another 1,500 outside the IRFU offices at Lansdowne Road in Dublin.
Some 24,000 tickets have been allocated to the Munster branch, but many of these will be distributed through the clubs and Ticketmaster outlets.
Munster fans have also voiced their anger at the allocation of 10,000 tickets to the Leinster branch even though the province has no vested interest in the match.
The European Rugby Cup committee has already said it expects the match to be a sell-out, with a 48,000 capacity crowd at Lansdowne Road for the semi-final clash with Wasps on Sunday, April 25th.