Public respond to Leinster's success

The huge interest in Leinster's Heineken European Cup quarter-final against Biarritz at Lansdowne Road in April means that the Leinster Branch's initial decision to close the West Upper Stand and North terrace will probably have to be reversed by the weekend.

As of yesterday morning 28,000 tickets had been sold and a decision taken to open the West Upper to the public. Sales are likely to go through the 30,000 mark by the weekend and the expectation is that the 7,633 Havelock Square end capacity will have to be utilised for safety reasons.

The Leinster Branch has been staggered by the public response and the likelihood now is that a crowd of 40,000 plus can be expected.

Biarritz have sold 1,800 tickets and the indication is that they won't be looking for any more.

Meanwhile the IRFU has launched a new coaching initiative aimed at consolidating and enhancing the Irish coaching structures.

The premise is simple, with the IRFU recognising that good quality coaching promotes higher levels of participation and success. The new scheme is called the Coaching Development and Accreditation Pathway. It has been supported by the International Board (IRB) and the National Coaching and Training Centre (NCTC).

The union has distributed 5,000 brochures outlining the new project to all its affiliated branches, Clubs and schools and those interested in getting involved for a first time in coaching can contact their local school, club, branch or the IRFU for more details.