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Leinster take 'unprecedented step' of cancelling sale of 2020/21 season tickets
By Online Editors
Leinster Rugby have announced that they will not be putting season tickets on sale for the 2020/21 season, in a move that could potentially be followed by a number of other European clubs. Leinster were due to put season tickets for the 2020/21 campaign on sale in March, but the renewal window was postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the renewal has now been cancelled amid the ongoing uncertainty surrounding rugby's eventual return.
In a statement, Leinster said it would not be feasible to accommodate all of their season ticket holders at the RDS next season, with social distancing restrictions expected to be in place when the province return to competitive action.
"Season Tickets for 2020/21 were due to go on sale to current season ticket holders in late March but given the sporting and financial uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 crisis, the renewal window was postponed.
"With social distancing now likely to remain a part of sporting and other spectator events for some time to come, that renewal has now been formally cancelled by Leinster Rugby as it was not feasible to accommodate over 12,800 season ticket holders for next season in the RDS Arena."
Should matches go ahead with supporters in stadiums next season, Leinster will allow supporters to purchase tickets through an official membership scheme. Current season ticket holders will be given priority access.
Leinster CEO Mick Dawson admitted that the move to cancel their season tickets will represent a major financial blow.
"Cancelling our season ticket offering is an unprecedented step," said Dawson, "and one that will have a significant financial impact on our organisation but we feel it is the right decision to make.
"It has been a very difficult time for everyone and nobody knows what the future will look like but as a business, we have to make decisions now based on the best information available to us.
"The priority now is to finish the 2019/20 season, look after those that have tickets outstanding and then hopefully start the 2020/21 season.
"Our supporters have been a crucial part of our success over the years and it is also vital that when we all come back from this, and we will come back, that we have a vibrant supporter base to welcome to the RDS Arena.
"We feel that by securing their right to purchase their seat for 2021/22, that our supporters will take some comfort from the steps we have taken."
The province will refund supporters for outstanding fixtures this season.
Leinster’s Champions Cup meeting with Saracens and their three remaining Pro14 fixtures are expected to be played behind closed doors, should they go ahead.
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Mallia deserves 8 at least. Brains and skills for the comeback. Him, Garcia and Albornoz the core of The Pumas attack. Hope to see them in the 15s against France
Go to commentsYeah nar I pretty much agree with that sentiment, wasn't just about the lineout though.
Yeah, I think it's the future of SR, even TRC. Graham above just now posting about how good a night it was with a dbl header of ENGvSA and NZvFrance, and now I don't want to kick SA or Argentina out of TRC but it would be great if in this next of the woods 2 more top teams could come in to create more of these sort of nights (for rugby's appeal). Often Arg and SA and both travel here and you get those games but more often doesn't work out right.
Obviously a long way off but USA and Japan are the obvious two. First thing we need to do is get Eddie Jones kicked out of Japan so they can start improving again and then get a couple of US teams in SRP (even if one its just a US based and augmented Jaguares).
It will start off the whole conferences are crap debate again (which I will continue to argue vehemently against), but imagine a 6 team Pacific conference, Tokyo Sunwolves (drafted from Tokyo JRLO teams), Tokyo All Stars (made up of best remaining foreign players and overseas drafts), ALL Nihon (best of local non Tokyo based talent, inc China/Korea etc, with mainland Japan), a could of West Coast american franchises and perhaps a second self PI driven Hawai'i based team, or Jagaures. So I see a short NFL like 3 or 4 month comp as fitting best, maybe not even a full round, NZvAUSvPAC, all games taking place within a 6hr window. Model for NZ will definitely still require a competitive and funded NPC!
On the Crusaders, I liked last years ending with Grace on the bench (ovbiously form dependent but thats how it ended) and Lio-Willie at 8. I could have Blackadder trying to be a 7 but think balance will be used with him at 6 and Kellow as 7. Scott Barrett is an international 6 sized player. It is just NZ style/model that pushes him into the tight, I reckon he'd be a great loose player, and saders have Strange and Cahill as bigger players (plus that change could draw someone like Darry back). Same with Haig now, hes not grown yet but Barrett hight and been playing 6, now that the Highlanders have only chosen two locks he'll be playing lock, and that is going to change his growth trajectory massively, rather than seeing him grow like an International 6.
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