Row over venue for Cup semi-final

England's best-supported clubs, Leicester and Gloucester, have asked the Rugby Football Union to find a new venue for their Powergen Cup semi-final so that more fans can watch the match.

Their request to find an alternative to Northampton's Franklin's Gardens ground might trigger a similar move from London Irish.

They are due to play Northampton in the other semi-final at Oxford's Kassam Stadium. Franklin's Gardens holds just 12,300, while the Kassam's capacity of 13,500 could also be stretched by demand for tickets from Irish and Saints fans.

The four semi-finalists are due to receive just 5,000 tickets each for the games scheduled for 1-2 March, and the RFU's choice of venues will undoubtedly initiate a stampede for tickets when they go on sale.

Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler said: "We have asked the RFU to look again at the venue for the match. Clearly, 5,000 tickets is not enough for either ourselves-or Gloucester when you consider what a huge game this is." However, Conor O'Shea, director of rugby at London Irish, was more upbeat, saying: "I'm sure there won't be a spare ticket, and although that will disappoint a lot of people it is a good thing that this match will be played at a ground that is full of atmosphere."

The RFU are considering the request from Gloucester and Leicester and admit they have already made contingency plans to move the game to a bigger stadium.