The La Rochelle 'fans' at the behind closed doors game explained

Ulster have explained why there appeared to be a section of La Rochelle fans in attendance at the behind-closed-doors Champions Cup game yesterday evening in the Aviva Stadium.

The match was moved to Dublin after the EPCR decreed that Kingspan Stadium was unsuitable on safety grounds due to a hard frost during the week. Ulster very much felt that pitch was ready to go on Saturday, but the governing body ultimately forced the Irish province’s hand to move to their nominated backup stadium.

So the game ended up being played behind closed doors at IRFU HQ, much to the dismay of Ulster management, ground staff and fans. Despite a brave second-half fight, the men in yellow lost the game 36-29 in the all-but-empty 51,700-seater stadium.

The game was broadcast on BT and some fans watching at home questioned why there appeared to be a contingent of La Rochelle fans at the stadium despite the game being behind closed doors.

Ulster CEO Jonny Petrie explained on Twitter: “In case people wonder when watching the match, there is a large official delegation from the La Rochelle club attending, agreed by EPCR. Not as a result of us.”

In case people wonder when watching the match, there is a large official delegation from the La Rochelle club attending, agreed by EPCR. Not as a result of us.

— Jonny Petrie (@JP_Petrie) December 17, 2022

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland was fuming after the game with the decision to move it from a pitch he believed was perfectly good to go back up in Ravenhill.

“My personal opinion is that we were there this morning at 10 o’clock, 9.30, and that pitch was playable.

“I was there the night before and the people there predicted that it was going to be playable.

“The work that the people did, the staff and volunteers, to get that pitch ready was phenomenal under the current circumstances. It was ready.

“We knew it was going to be ready because the weather was predicted to change overnight. But that decision was taken away from us.

“The bottom line is the decision was wrong. It could have been played at Ravenhill.

“There is more to European rugby than a game played between four lines. There’s more than that. It’s an occasion.

“Whether you’re in Thomond playing Toulouse, whether you’re in (Ravenhill) playing against Racing, whether you’re in Welford Road watching Dan Cole win his 300th cap, it’s an occasion.

“It has spirit, it has feeling. If you want to reduce it to the word ‘product’, the ‘product’ is more than just the game.

“To me that should be remembered in the decision making in this sort of thing.”