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ERC releases 400 extra tickets for Bath Rugby-Northampton Saints showpiece in Cardiff
European Club Rugby has finally come out with an explanation for its decision to hold the European Challenge Cup final later this month between Aviva Premiership rivals Bath Rugby and the Northampton Saints at the Cardiff Arms Park.
The ERC was blasted by fans of both the clubs after it was revealed that the two clubs would be allocated just 1,000 tickets apiece for the showpiece event which is scheduled for the 23rd of this month.
The remaining 10,000 tickets had been put up for general since the competition began in September but the ERC has now confirmed that it has released a further 400 tickets for both the clubs.
The ERC released a statement on its website recently where it stated that the board had taken a unanimous decision for the European Challenge Cup and Heineken Cup finals to be played on the same weekend in the same city to create a unique celebration of rugby and since the 2010/11 season, this method has seen successful staging of the two European Cup finals in cities such as Cardiff, London and Dublin.
And this month, the European finals will be held at Cardiff once again with Toulon taking on Saracens FC at the Millennium Stadium and Cardiff Arms Park hosting the European Challenge Cup final between the Northampton Saints and Bath Rugby.
It further read that the ERC is aware of the huge demands for tickets from both sets of fans and as a result, the ERC has undertaken the duty of increasing the capacity of the stadium by 400 more so that fans of the two clubs can enjoy the spectacle.
According to the ERC statement, the Northampton Saints and Bath Rugby will be notified of their decision shortly and fans will be allocated the tickets in a few days’ time.
Foden took time over injury
Ben Foden, the full back for the Northampton Saints admitted he gave up being a part of the England team for the recently concluded Six Nations Championship in order to avoid a repeat of last season’s injury woes.
The 28 year old England international has recently returned from a knee injury after missing most of last season due to ankle ligament injury twelve months prior.
Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Foden stated that he tried to push himself to fitness in order to make the Six Nations Championship last season and that landed him in all kinds of trouble. He admitted that he probably prolonged his injury, adding that his efforts to push himself took the injury six months to heal instead of three.
He went on to add that as a result, the Six Nations Championship was the last thing on his mind this season.
The Northampton Saints man suffered his ankle injury in September 2012 but he managed to return to action at the end of the year and also made his way into Stuart Lancaster’s squad for the Six Nations Championship. However, he did not feature in a single match for the England team in the Grand Slam after the Rugby Football Union requested the England coaching staff to rest him for a match against Gloucester Rugby.
A season on, Foden found himself with another injury, this time his knee giving way in November 2013. But this time around, he waited for the injury to heal, biding his time before returning earlier this month for the Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens.
He stated that he is still not fully match fit and the lungs are struggling a bit every now and then. But his return will be a boost for the Saints who suffered back to back defeats last weekend.