City: Limerick
Country: Eire
City: Limerick
Country: Eire
Club: Munster Rugby
Founded; 1879
Ground Opened: 1940
Stadium Name Thomond Park
Stadium Address Thomond Park
Limerick
Telephone 021 432 3563
Fax 021 432 3956
Capacity 26,500
(15,100 Seated)
Stadium Name Musgrave Park
Stadium Address Ballyphehane
Cork
Capacity 9,251
(3450 Seated)
Club Web Site:
Facebook:
@Munsterrugby
Home Colours: All Red
Away Colours: Black and Green
League (2015/16): Guinness Pro 12
Fixtures 2015/16:
Munster Rugby: Stadiums and Supporters
The Stadiums
Munster have two main stadia where they play their home matches-Thomond Park in Limerick and Musgrave Park in Cork. Thomond Park is the bigger of the two, with a capacity of around 27,000, while Musgrave holds 8,300. As well as Munster, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemiam RFC play in the grounds of Thomond Park.
Thomond Park is famous for its atmosphere and unique history – its noise during play and complete silence when a player (home or away) is kicking at goal. It is also famous for Munster’s intimidating European record that it held for over a decade, of never having been beaten at home. That record was finally broken in 2006/07 when they were defeated by Leicester Tigers.
Thomond Park went through a major renovation in 2009. In 2006 Munster announced plans to upgrade, and in autumn 2008 the new 27,000 capacity stadium was opened. Two sweeping arches are one of the defining features of the stadium, as well as the concourse outside the East Stand. The new stadium won the Public Choice Award for 2009 from the Irish Architecture Foundation. A long consultation concluded that the stadium would continue to be called Thomond Park.
Supporters
The strength of Munster’s support was demonstrated during Munster’s 2006 Heineken cup final win. News reports detailed the lengths some fans were willing to go to secure tickets to the game, with fans travelling to Biarritz to buy the French allocation of tickets. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was filled with a capacity crowd of 74,500. It was estimated that anything from 55-65,000 were Munster fans.
Munster have played in the most-attended quarter and semi-final matches in the Heineken Cup:
-2009 Semi-final v Leinster at Croke Park, Dublin -82,208.
-2006 Quarter-final v Perpignan at Lansdowne Road, Dublin -49,500.
Munster’s 2005 quarter-final against Biarritz was played across the border in San Sebastian, with an attendance of 32,000 setting a Spanish rugby crowd record.
On October 2, 2010, Munster played Leinster in the Magners League at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, setting a new attendance record of 50,645 for that competition.
Munster fans are known for their silence when a kick is being taken, but also for their noise. Fans repeatedly chant “MUNSTER” or sing “The fields of Athenry “(an Irish famine song from Galway) and “Stand Up and Fight” (from the Broadway musical Carmen Jones)
Updated October 2015
Copyright Miles & Miles Publishing 2015