OFFICIAL LEINSTER SUPPORTERS CLUB Guide to Racing Metro Racing Metro v Leinster January 21, 2011 Official Sponsor Leinster Rugby Official Sponsor Leinster Rugby Introduction Racing Metro 92 is located to the west of Paris, the club was created in a merger between ‘Racing’ and ‘US Metro’ in 2001, the number 92 relates to the district code. The club plays at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, referred to by locals simply as Colombes. The stadium hosted the 1924 summer Olympics and at that time had a capacity of 50,000. The ground was also host to the national French team however with the development of Parc de Prices and, more recently, Stade de France the ground now only sees games for Racing Metro 92 and football side RC Paris. Development of a new 40,000-seater stadium nearby is underway and is due to open in 2014, this will become the new home for Racing Metro 92. Getting to central Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) - Aer Lingus Take the blue RER B train to the centre of Paris and change accordingly. Tickets are €8.50 each way for an adult (this will get you to anywhere on the RER or Metro lines even if you have to change). Just be sure to use the Billetterie Ile-de-France blue box machines and not the yellow SNCF TGV vending machines, as only the blue box machines sell tickets for the RER B line that you are after and can be purchased either at the ticket office or at a self service machine. You will see the magnificent Stade de France on your right as you make your journey from the airport. Paris Beauvais (BVA) - Ryanair A coach serves all flights to/from Beauvais (located 80kms from the city centre). Tickets are priced at €15 each way per person and must be purchased from the ticket booth outside arrivals – online sales are unavailable. Coaches leave circa 20 minutes after each flight has arrived, when returning to the airport be sure to be at the pickup point three hours and 15 minutes before your departure time. As this service is linked to each flight regular buses DO NOT run throughout the day, if you miss it you will need to get a taxi, which is very pricy at about €140! The coach will drop you at (and collect you from) the coach park on the Boulevard Pershing at Porte Maillot, near the hotel Concorde Lafayette. Paris Orly (ORY) - Easyjet from the UK/Continental Europe Take the RER Line C train to the centre of Paris and change accordingly. Tickets are €7.60 each way for an adult and can be purchased either at the ticket office or at a self service machine. Official Sponsor Leinster Rugby Transport in Central Paris Save money and time by purchasing a carnet of 10 tickets for €11.60 at the ticket window of any Metro station or from vending machines near the turnstiles. Ask for un billet, s’il vous plait or un carnet, s’il vous plait. A carnet of tickets can be purchased at CDG however you cannot use one of the tickets for the journey to/from the airport. A single ticket will take you anywhere within the city of Paris on the Métro and RER networks, you can transfer between lines or between the Métro and the RER on the same ticket. You can also use tickets from your carnet on public buses, and transfers from one transportation mode to another (ie. from rail to bus or tram) are now permitted. Your ticket is valid for one-and-a-half hours from the time it’s stamped. Note: Tickets purchased from bus drivers don’t allow transfers, so buy a carnet or a few tickets ahead of time in the Métro if you plan to ride the bus and transfer to the underground. For RER trains map see: http://parisbytrain.com/files/2008/05/rer.pdf Accommodation Through comments on our facebook page we know that some supporters are staying in the Montmarte (the 18th district) area as it is near the RER that goes to/from the stadium. Various hotel accommodation across a number of brands and price ranges can be found at www.accorhotels.com or www.laterooms.com. Official Sponsor Leinster Rugby Supporters HQ The OLSC has teamed up with Corcoran’s Pub located at 110 Boulevard de Clichy, 75018 (near to stations on Line 13 and a 10-minute walk from Gare Saint Lazare) to be our supporters HQ over the weekend. Corcoran’s serve an Irish breakfast from 8am daily and other meals across the day until 11pm. For those wearing a Leinster jersey, pints of Corcoran’s lager will be €5 all weekend – the bar’s happy hour prices will also be available to Leinster supporters across the entire weekend. The pub also has a number of TV screens throughout and will be showing other Heineken Cup action over the weekend. Lost or Stolen passports If your passport is lost or stolen, you should report to the nearest police station or gendarmerie. The embassy is located at 12 Avenue Foch, 75116 Paris, Telephone + 33 1 4417 6700 Taxis Be warned that if you order a taxi, the meter begins running from the time it is dispatched (wherever in the city that might be). OLSC Tip – When checking in be sure to take a business card and/or map from your hotel reception as these should have the street address details of your accommodation that you can show a taxi driver. If you become disorientated after dark it can be used as a reference to find your way back. It also can help when staying at a chain hotel if you forget which location you are actually staying in! Official Sponsor Leinster Rugby Getting to the ground Stade Olympique Yves du Manoir in Colombes can be reached by any train from Gare Saint Lazare in the direction of Ermont Eaubonne (getting off at Gare du Stade), from there it is a 750-metre walk to the stadium itself. Alternatively you could take a train on Line 13 to Asnieres Gennevilliers-les Courtilles. From this station free shuttle buses operate to/from the stadium that is located 2.9 kms away. These begin one hour before kick off and continue until 90 minutes after the game has finished. Bookings are not required, simply arrive at the station and follow the instructions (or crowd!). To walk will take circa 35-40 minutes. Stade Olympique Yves du Manoir 12 Rue Paul Bert 92700 Colombes Keep in contact with the OLSC Did you know that the OLSC are now on Facebook and Twitter? Join us now to be kept up to date with the latest OLSC news and merchandise information. Facebook: Official Leinster Supporters Club Twitter: OLSCRugby Message from the coach As we round off Pool 2 this weekend, I would like to thank you for your outstanding support so far. Be it at home in the RDS or Aviva Stadium, or abroad as we will be this weekend, your positive and vocal support has been a massive boost to our Heineken Cup performances. We travel to Paris this weekend to face one of the top sides in French rugby; Racing-Métro 92. The pride French teams have in defending their home stadium and the outstanding players Racing-Métro 92 has to call upon will ensure that the game is physical and very competitive. Your support on our European journey has been tremendous. The players have lifted their performances at key times with the aid of your visible and vocal presence, defending 30 consecutive phases at the end of the Saracens clash in Wembley Stadium as well as keeping our line in tact in the last quarter of the game in le Stade Marcel Michelin before Christmas. I have no doubt that you will make a big impression in the French capital on Friday night. Paris is a great place to visit and I know that you will enjoy the hospitality from their very committed supporter base who, like yourselves, love their team. They are a club with lofty ambitions both in the Top 14 as well as in Europe and have recruited accordingly. The team are motivated by the challenge and we hope you’ll assist us in trying to qualify for the quarter finals. Enjoy the game and travel safely. All the best, JOE SCHMIDT Leinster Coach Official Sponsor Leinster Rugby Message from the OLSC committee The support for the team in this season’s campaign has been fantastic so far both at home and away and with this final game in our ‘group of death’ we must keep that momentum going. While it is fantastic that Leinster have qualified for the knock-out stages already there is still a great deal at stake with seeding positions yet to be determined and a home quarter-final up for grabs, both of which can have a massive influence on our progression in the Heineken Cup. Racing Metro and its supporters will be hurting after two recent losses in the tournament and will be determined to spoil our party and end their campaign on a high note. Our job will be to make as much noise as we can in support of the team, letting them know we are there fighting alongside them. Once again we call on you to deck yourself out in your bluest gear and give it everything you have to back the boys at the match in Paris. We hope to see you at the supporters HQ on Friday, before or after the game.