Leo Cullen issues ‘turn out’ message for stay-away Leinster fans after last Saturday’s box office flop
Leinster's James Lowe chases after the ball last amid the backdrop of numerous empty seats at Aviva Stadium last Saturday
Leo Cullen has issued a “turn out in force” semi-final message to Leinster fans after an attendance of only 12,879 watched the Irish province in their United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final win over the Scarlets.
During the 2024/25 URC regular season, Leinster played eight of their nine home matches at the Aviva Stadium in front of a total attendance of 160,905 – a per-game average of 20,113 (their other regular season home game took place against Munster in front of 80,468 at Croke Park).
However, Leinster never came close to matching their Aviva Stadium average for the quarter-final as fans very much voted with their feet and stayed away on Saturday.
The crowd that did go along to see them defeat the Scarlets 33-21 was more than 7,000 down on their average attendance and it resulted in head coach Cullen appealing for fans to turn up in far greater numbers when they host Glasgow, the defending champions, in next Saturday’s semi-final.
Glasgow recently visited the Aviva Stadium on May 17, a regular season fixture that attracted a crowd of 17,654. The return of the Scots, though, is for a fixture not covered by Leinster’s season ticket programme.
“Players want to feel that support behind them…”
The Scarlets game – another extra match outside the season ticket deal – was a Saturday afternoon box office flop on despite Leinster naming nine of their 12 British and Irish Lions picks in their starting XV along with All Black Jordie Barrett.
With the Warriors semi-final now also scheduled for a Saturday afternoon, Cullen has voiced a message to last weekend’s absent fans. “It’s on Saturday, please turn out in force,” he said.
“We would love to see you here in June and get excited about cheering on the team and all the rest, because the players feed off that energy.
“The players are human beings, and they want to do well. They want to feel that support behind them. So, for us, it’s just about dusting ourselves off now.
“It’s great to be in a semi-final again, but we take nothing for granted. Going back to the semi-final we have already lost (to Northampton in the Investec Champions Cup), people were looking ahead.
“Everyone’s looking ahead. Everyone is. Supporters, staff were trying to look too far ahead. So, it was a real harsh lesson for us, but (it’s about) making sure we learn from that. So, be excited now.”
Leinster’s Aviva Stadium URC attendances 2024/25
12,879 Scarlets (quarter-final) 17,654; Glasgow, 14,681; Zebre, 18,422; Ulster, 17,951; Cardiff, 18,892; Stormers, 33,963; Connacht, 20,945; Lions, 18,397 Dragons
