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An area of seating at the RDS was closed off by Irish police last night over safety concerns regarding a row of seats.
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Leinster says reports in the media that the stand ‘collapsed’ were ‘hugely wide of the mark’.
Leinster Rugby issued the following statement late last night: “At the Guinness PRO14 game between Leinster Rugby and Ulster Rugby on Saturday, 6th January 2018 in the RDS Arena there was an issue with the flooring in a single isolated row of seats at the back of Block L in the Grandstand.
“As a result, up to 12 patrons were moved from their seats and the area was shut down by members of An Garda Síochána and Sword Security.
“There were no injuries reported at the time and a formal investigation is now underway by the RDS in conjunction with their event safety management contractors Eamon O’Boyle & Associates.”
Leinster Rugby Statement regarding incident in the @TheRDS Grandstand – https://t.co/vxj1tCHiGP – reports in some media that the stand 'collapsed' hugely wide of the mark. pic.twitter.com/2B3dKhGzUo
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) January 7, 2018
The RDS has been home to Leinster Rugby since 2007 when the senior team’s games were relocated from Donnybrook Stadium.
Leinster Rugby’s first game after the official move was a home win against Edinburgh Rugby in the Magners League in September 2007, though the first game played at the RDS by the province was a 34-15 win over Cardiff Blues in September 2005.
The move to the RDS came due to a lack of capacity at Donnybrook Stadium. After renovation and expansion, the Grandstand and North and South Stands were expanded, boosting the capacity to 18,500 along with floodlights being installed and a new playing surface being laid, to withstand the demands of a full rugby season and show jumping events.
