Northampton Saints fly-half Fin Smith has said his side have had an 'eye-opening history lesson' about Croke Park before they face Leinster this Saturday.
Northampton Saints fly-half Fin Smith says his side have had an "eye-opening history lesson" about Croke Park before they face Leinster in Saturday's Champions Cup semi-final.
The Aviva Stadium in Dublin is unavailable, with the venue preparing to host the Europa League final on 22 May. "I was pretty moved by the lesson and was sitting there with goosebumps," Smith told BBC Radio Northampton.More than 82,000 fans are expected at a sold-out Croke Park, which last hosted a club rugby match in 2009 when Leinster defeated Munster 25-6 in an all-Irish European Cup semi-final on their way to winning the competition for the first time.
Saints' director of rugby Phil Dowson added: "It's absolutely fundamental that we have an appreciation of the significance of Croke Park, both culturally and historically, to the Irish battle for independence and to their psyche.
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