Paris game breaks all records

Already the Parisians have snapped up 42,000 of the 45,000 tickets and Stade President Max Gauzzini is hoping for a complete sell-out by kick-off.

The record attendance in Paris comes hot on the heels of a record breaking series of of matches in Round 2, when 136,965 fans turned out for the 12 matches. Included among that number were the Welsh record Heineken Cup gate of 26,645 for the Cardiff Blues game against Leicester Tigers at the Millennium Stadium.

And it is not just in Paris that the crowds will be flocking to European games this weekend. Llanelli Scarlets and Cardiff Blues have both sold-out for their home clashes with Toulouse and Munster respectively, while London Irish have already sold 14,000 tickets for their clash with Ulster at the Madejski Stadium..