Investec Champions Cup: Leinster set for Croke Park if they beat La Rochelle
- Published
Leinster beat Munster at Croke Park in a 2009 European Cup semi-final played in front of a huge attendance
Leinster will play an Investec Cup Champions Cup semi-final at Gaelic Games venue Croke Park next month if they beat La Rochelle this weekend.
The Aviva Stadium will be unavailable because of preparations at the venue for the Europa League final.
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) agreed in March that Croke Park could be made available for the semi-final.
If Leinster win on Saturday, they will host Northampton or the Bulls on the first weekend of May.
Croke Park staged an all-Irish European Cup semi-final in 2009 when Leinster defeated Munster 25-6 on the way to winning the competition for the first time.
The GAA's decision last month opened the door to "rugby and soccer activity" taking place at the venue "in the coming months".
In addition to the 2009 European Cup semi-final, Croke Park staged rugby and football internationals between 2007 and 2010 during the redevelopment of the old Lansdowne Road, which became the Aviva Stadium.
If champions La Rochelle win at the Aviva Stadium this weekend, they will face either Northampton at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes or the Bulls at an unnamed venue in the UK.
A Harlequins win in Bordeaux this weekend and victory for Exeter in Toulouse would set up an all-English semi-final at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol.
Toulouse will have home advantage if they reach the semi-finals while victories for Bordeaux and Exeter would result in their last-four game taking place in Bordeaux.