Connacht have confirmed their home tie with Ulster in round five of the United Rugby Championship will be played at the Aviva Stadium, with potentially no restriction on the capacity at the venue.
Their clash on Saturday 23 October comes one day after the final easing of Covid-19 restrictions, at which stage there will be no restrictions on numbers at outdoor events.
Following consultation with the IRFU and the province's supporters club The Connacht Clan, Connacht Rugby say they will forego home advantage in order to accommodate as many supporters as possible.
Head coach Andy Friend says he's more than happy to do so in order to allow as many fans as possible see their team for the first time since early 2020.
"I was asked what I thought about it, and straight away I thought about the positives, as I tend to, but I thought I'd love to give our players a platform to play in front of maybe 20,000 or 30,000 people," he said.
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"So that was the first thing that sprung in my mind, and I actually think Interpro games, as I've now learned, they are massive here.
"Given we've had 18 months with no crowd, we could get a good crowd there. We have a lot of Connacht supporters in Leinster, a great opportunity for them just to head down the road now and get a ticket at the Aviva.
"It's done in consultation with our key supporter group, with myself as the coach and therefore the team, and all thumbs were up for it. I see it as a brilliant opportunity to head up to the Aviva."
The province have confirmed that existing season tickets holders will be guaranteed entry to the game, with remaining tickets going on general sale on Monday 27 September from 9am.
Connacht and Ulster previously played behind-closed-doors at the Aviva in August 2020, when professional rugby resumed following the first Covid-19 lockdown.
