RUGBY bosses were today preparing to announce that next year's Heineken European Cup final will be played at Murrayfield.
Organisers were assembling at Edinburgh Castle to unveil plans for a repeat of the 2005 extravaganza in which Stade Toulouse had to go to extra time before defeating fellow Frenchmen Stade Francais.
Then, more than 51,000 fans attended, earning wi
despread praise for the SRU's marketing given the distances both sets of supporters were required to travel. A speedy return to the Capital is expected to be revealed by European Rugby chief executive Derek McGrath and will represent a another vote of confidence in Murrayfield's ability to host major events and further distance the SRU problems at the end of last century when crowds were poor for the 1999 World Cup.
The last European Cup final was estimated to have grossed more than £10million for the Edinburgh economy and hopes are high that figure will be raised especially with both Scottish professional sides showing signs of being able to make a sustained challenge at last.
The 2005 final represented a watershed in Scottish sporting history in any case with the lifting of the drinks ban inside the stadium.
Despite some initial concerns there were no arrests for drink-related offences.
One sour note was the temporary apprehension of Toulouse coach Guy Noves when he tried to take one of his club's main sponsors on to the pitch to enjoy celebrations without appropriate accreditation.
The incident gained some notoriety but was quickly smoothed over. No charges were brought.
When Murrayfield gets the nod it will mean Scotland equals Ireland, England and France, who have staged the final twice each.
The announcement will also see Mr McGrath honour a pledge made in 2005 that Edinburgh and Scottish rugby had boosted prospects of further big matches.
"I see Edinburgh as having done its chances no harm so far as a successful 2015 World Cup bid is concerned with a 51,236 crowd.
"We would have accepted that attendance right at the outset when the decision was announced to come to Edinburgh.
"Also, this year's Heineken European Cup goes down as ground-breaking.
"For the first time a final was staged calling upon various partnerships and we now have a role model thanks to Edinburgh.
"Sometime in the future we will certainly look closely at a possible return to Murrayfield," said McGrath.
This year's final goes ahead on Saturday at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium when Munster and Toulouse clash.
It will be the fourth occasion Cardiff has staged the final starting with the inaugural event in 1995.
The full article contains 439 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
