It will be the dawn of a new era for Leinster Rugby this weekend as they play their first Vodacom URC game at the redeveloped Laya Arena.
The league champions will welcome second-placed Cardiff Rugby to their new-look home at the Royal Dublin Society site on Saturday evening, with a bumper crowd expected for the landmark fixture.
As a result of the redevelopment, which is the product of more than 220,000 working hours, the capacity is now up to 20,600, with the new Anglesea Stand holding 6,775.
One other nice stat is that the total distance of seating if laid end to end would stretch 3.39km. For those with local knowledge, that takes you as far as the Ha’penny Bridge!
So, after a season at the Aviva Stadium, Leinster are back at the RDS, having signed a 25-year agreement to use the Laya Arena for their home games.
Head coach Leo Cullen views it as a very welcome move as he embarks on his final season at the helm.
“You want a proper club ground, with a proper club feel, that’s the big thing,” he said.
“When you go to an international stadium, it’s very hard to generate a club feel because you are on the bus, you are under the tunnel, it’s an international ground.
“Here at the Laya, there’s proper engagement with the fans with everyone on top of each other. That’s what club rugby should be like.
“Kids who come into the ground can actually see their heroes whereas it’s always a bit more distant at the bigger stadiums like the Aviva.
“Don’t get me wrong, we are very lucky to play there, but it’s not a club ground. Club is the big thing for me.”
On the redevelopment project, he said: “A huge amount of work has gone into upgrading the venue and we can’t wait to build a powerful bond with our team and supporters as we progress through the season.”
Adding his thoughts, assistant coach Emmett Farrell said: “The old RDS had some great nights and we are looking forward to having some really big nights in the Laya Arena.”
Assessing the challenge presented by Cardiff, Farrell said: “It will be a big test. They are really good.
“They are definitely the strongest Welsh team at the moment. They are growing the depth of their squad with quality guys. So they are definitely a threat.
“They got the better of us twice last year. They beat us in pre-season at Tallaght and then they beat us at the Arms Park later in the year. So they will be very confident.
“They have had a really strong start to the season.
“They got an away win in a Welsh derby, which is a big confidence boost, and they had a nice comfortable win against Zebre.
“They look very strong. Their pack has been brilliant, their maul has been going well.
“They’ve got really good half-backs. Their tactical kicking is very strong, so we are going to have to be very secure in the back.
“Their aerial game is very strong. They did a bit of a job on us in Cardiff when they won a lot of the aerial contests. So we have to make sure we reverse that trend.”
He concluded: “They will be coming here full of confidence which is a danger to us. They are going to have a good crack. They will have good belief that they can do it.
“There will be no holds barred on the weekend.”
Title holders Leinster will be looking for their first win of the Vodacom URC season having lost their opening two games out in South Africa – against the 10Bet Lions and Hollywoodbets Sharks – while picking up three losing bonus points as valuable consolation.
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