Pinergy and Munster Rugby are pleased to present findings of an independent Economic Impact Assessment, commissioned by Repucon Consulting, related to last month’s Munster v Crusaders fixture.

The historic ‘Clash of the Champions’ game was held at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in front of a sell-out 40,885 attendance. The highly anticipated clash saw Munster Rugby bid to overcome seven-in-a-row Super Rugby Champions Crusaders for the first-ever clash between the reigning champions of Super Rugby and the United Rugby Championship. It was Munster Rugby’s second-ever game at the venue following the hugely successful fixture against South Africa A in November 2022 which saw Munster overcome South Africa A in front of 41,400 supporters.

The game was presented in association with Pinergy, Munster Rugby’s official energy partner. An online economic impact survey was distributed to ticket holders by Munster Rugby in the immediate aftermath of the game and had a total of 2,008 replies.

Please see the findings of the report below.

• The majority of the attendance travelled from within Munster to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh with 5,111 (12.5%) coming from outside the province and 900 people (2%) travelling from overseas.
• The total direct expenditure generated by all attendees was €5.6 million.
• Total direct expenditure by visitors from outside Cork city and county is estimated at €2.7 million. This figure relates to match attendance expenditure and does not include pre match expenditure on tickets.
• The number of accommodation bed nights generated for Cork city and county was 5,100.
• The average overnight spectator spend per night was €233 and the average spend by day-trippers to the game was €76.
• In addition to the economic impact of visitors to Cork, there was an estimated €2.9 million spent by city- and county-based attendees to the game.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Pinergy Chief Executive Officer, Enda Gunnell said:

“We were delighted to be the presenting partner for this unique match in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh last month. This independent assessment highlights the positive impact the game had on the local Cork economy.”

Ian Flanagan, Munster Rugby Chief Executive Officer, said: “We would like to thank the IRFU, the GAA, Cork GAA, and Crusaders for facilitating our request to host this fixture. Welcoming 40,885 Munster supporters to Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh was a unique and special occasion and we are hugely appreciative of your continued support.”