RUGBY:FOR LEINSTER, the spin-offs of their second Heineken Cup triumph in three years are unquantifiable, both for the brand name and the province's profile. Regardless of whether they complete an historic double in the Mangers League final against Munster at Thomond Park next Saturday, they will earn bonuses from sponsors as well as provide a winning team for their marketing department and season-ticket holders.
But the real winners are the IRFU, for whom the province’s successes is liable to earn them an additional €2.5 million-plus.
Under the agreement with the ERC, the Irish returns from the governing body of the two European competitions go directly to the IRFU. The union, sensibly, budget for having just one quarter-finalist in the Heineken Cup per season, which equates to about €430,000.
Hence, the returns from the 2010-11 European campaign will be bountiful, for they should receive an additional €430,000 each for having two quarter-finalists, a semi-finalist and a finalist.
Furthermore, the union would have received probably in excess of €500,000 for leasing out the Aviva Stadium to Leinster in the quarter-finals and the ERC for the Leinster-Toulouse semi-final, after deducting costs from their two rentals of an estimated €400,000 each time.
They also received another €500,000, or 50 per cent, of Leinster’s share of the gate receipts from the quarter-final, as well as half of Ulster’s share of gate receipts away to Northampton and of Munster’s home Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final against Harlequins.
Add it all up, and they should receive more than €2.5 million above what they budgeted for.
To compound his miserable weekend, Michael Cheika’s Stade Francais needed a Northampton win to qualify for next season’s Heineken Cup after being robbed of the Amlin Challenge Cup final on Friday night.
So, not alone did it leave him in a quandary, but his one-time proteges instead earned Connacht the 24th and last place in next season’s premier European tournament for the first time.They would be hopeful of drawing home crowds in the region of the 7,500 which crammed into the Sportsground for their Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final against Toulon last season. Their problem is simply the lack of seats at the Sportsground.
