Ed Sheeran has punted Munster from their Thomond Park Stadium for next month’s Champions Cup quarterfinal tie against Toulouse with the venue set to host the British singer’s concerts.
The quarterfinals are scheduled for May 6-8 but with Sheeran set to play Limerick’s Thomond Park on May 5 and May 6 there is not enough time to return the pitch to a playable standard.
The tie has therefore been switched to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
“While it wasn’t a decision that was made lightly, we have been vocal in our support for securing large-scale concerts for the venue for several years,” Munster’s Chief Operating Officer Philip Quinn said.
“It has been nine years since we hosted concerts of this scale and we are fully aware of the huge economic benefit to the local economy, along with the stadium itself, that these concerts bring.”
Munster beat Exeter to set up the quarterfinal tie with five-time winners Toulouse, who kept the defence of their title alive with a dramatic one-point aggregate win over Ulster.