| Newcastle Falcons star Matthew Burke has spoken of his excitement as he prepares to run out at a sold-out Parc des Princes in Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter final against Stade Francais.
“I sat on the sidelines for Australia when they played there all the way back in 1993 because unfortunately I’d picked up a bit of an injury at the time,” said the fullback, who made his comeback from the bench against Bath on Sunday.
“They know how to crank up the volume in France, and to play there in front of 45,000 people on Saturday will be unbelievable.
“The supporters are excited about it, the coaches and players are excited about it, and that’s the way it should be, because you have to enjoy these occasions when they come along. This is what we’re all in the game for, so we have to relax and enjoy it.
“The organisers have done a great job in selling out the stadiums, and if you go to any of the cities, just from the buzz, you know that there’s a big game coming up.”
With a sunny conditions and a noisy 45,000 crowd in attendance, he added: “It’s always tough playing in France, and if their team starts going forward then you can feel the crowd making noise, so you’re almost playing against the crowd as well.
“That’s where we need our fans to be heard, and I’m sure they will because they’ve been brilliant at places like Edinburgh earlier in the tournament.”
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