Euro tie draws record crowd as ticket sales top 20,000

EDINBURGH will play in front of the biggest crowd known for a club match in Scotland after the SRU reported that ticket sales for the Heineken Cup quarter-final next month had passed the 20,000 mark.

The previous record was just over 17,000 for the 2003 Celtic Cup Final between Edinburgh and Ulster, a match the Scots lost. Having made history by topping their pool and qualifying for a home quarter-final for the first time, Edinburgh are now looking at a bonanza for the club around the 7 April match with four-times European champions Toulouse, both in terms of fresh finance and interest for the club generated across the capital and beyond.

The quarter-final weekend is a free one for the majority of Scottish club rugby sides and ticket sales have been widespread with interest from the Borders to the north of Scotland, east and west as well as outside Scotland. Toulouse face a run of three away matches if they are to repeat their cup-winning heroics, yet French supporters are clearly not taking anything for granted as they sign up for potentially a second trip to Edinburgh after watching France beat Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

The top and bottom tiers of the East Stand and trackside standing area are all sold out, and the lower tiers behind the goals close to capacity. The upper stands are now being opened up on the North, South and West Stands with adult ticket prices from £15 to £30 and under-18s’ all £5.

Craig Docherty, the Edinburgh chief executive, said: “The rush for tickets in this past week has been extraordinary. It’s a case of getting in quick to grab the best seats for the hottest ticket in town!”

While a 20,000-plus crowd is about as ambitious a target as the club set itself, Docherty agreed that he would be delighted if sales continued to grow over the next four weeks and challenged the UK and English quarter-final records of 32,500 and 36,728 respectively.

“To be in a position to consider challenging a UK record crowd is a credit to the enthusiasm of the Edinburgh Rugby fans and the greater Scottish rugby community.

“We’re working exceptionally hard to make this a massive event, on and off the pitch, and at this rate we could reach another significant milestone for the club and the professional game in Scotland come kick-off.

“This is now undeniably the biggest club rugby match in Scottish history and we need to pull on every available resource, none more so than the power of the crowd, as we take on Toulouse for a place in the semi-finals.”

The advance ticket prices end at midnight on Thursday 5 April, with a £2.50 or £5 rise on the last two days of sales. Tickets are available on matchday.