(Reuters) – Ed Sheeran has punted Munster from their Thomond Park Stadium for next month’s Champions Cup quarter-final tie against Toulouse with the venue set to host the British singer’s concerts.
The quarter-finals 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 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,” said Philip Quinn, the club’s Chief Operating Officer.
“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.”
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)