According to ERC they are "now taking the final onto a different plane". Having made the decision last summer to vote for a final venue before a ball had been kicked in the tournament,"we set ourselves a real challenge".
"Would we be able to fill one of the biggest rugby stadia in the world without knowing until four weeks before the final which two teams would be heading to Cardiff? In the end, there was little or no risk involved and we pre-sold 26,000 tickets prior to the semi-finals".
"It proves the Heineken Cup has not only captured the imagination of the rugby public, but has grown into a major event. We could possibly have sold 100,000 tickets".
"Our publicity drive ahead of the game helped us to sell tickets much further afield than Leicester and Munster and when everyone arrives in Cardiff they will be aware from our bannering exercise that this event is not only slightly different, but also very special."
It is believed that tickets for the game are being offered at anything from #Stg180.00. An article in last Sunday's Sunday Times newspaper claims that two UK-based companies had #Stg17 tickets available for the final at #Stg180.