SOUTHAMPTON have opened the door to rugby being played at the Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium.

The Rugby Football Union revealed yesterday that the £32 million arena had been on a shortlist of venues to stage the semi-finals of this season's Powergen Cup on Saturday, March 9.

That's the date when Saints are scheduled to play Newcastle United at St James' Park.

Saints' next home game is on March 23, when Bolton are the visitors, which would have given groundstaff two weeks to repair the turf.

In the end, St Mary's missed out, as the RFU decided that Northampton will take on Newcastle at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton, with Harlequins hosting London Irish at their Stoop home.

Saints chairman, Rupert Lowe, explained this morning that the RFU had approached the club about the idea, and hinted it had only been a tentative suggestion.

"We haven't even spoken to them yet," he said.

He admitted they were concerned about the pitch being cut up, and revealed that the prospect of rugby being played at St Mary's was "unlikely".

However, he added: "We are always looking at ways of generating revenue at the stadium, but we have to put football first.

"This week, for example, we are having the pitch patched up."

Only recently, the club agreed to stage reserve team games at St Mary's.

Initially the idea had been to limit second team matches on the pitch, staging them instead at the Staplewood training ground to allow the new turf to settle.

Certainly, hosting rugby at St Mary's would have been a big money-spinner for Saints.

The two Powergen Cup semi-finals staged at Reading's Madejski Stadium last year drew just short of 24,000 fans and yielded £250,000.

The Madejski Stadium had originally been pencilled in to host the prestigious matches in a double-header again this year.

But when London Irish reached the last four, the RFU were forced into a rethink because the Exiles play their home games at the Madejski.

It prompted a major row yesterday afternoon following the draw as Twickenham officials sought a solution.

Harlequins chief executive, Mark Evans, was keen for the semi-final to be played at St Mary's.

He said: "We would have been quite happy with a proper neutral venue. It has all been badly managed."

RFU spokesman, Terry Burwell, admitted: "We must take into account the sporting equity perspective.

"We have examined a number of venues including the Britannia Stadium in Stoke, St Mary's Stadium in Southampton and Saracens' Vicarage Road ground."

Besides the Madejski, Bolton's Reebok Stadium and Huddersfield's McAlpine Stadium, both complexes built in the last five years, have hosted rugby matches.

And, in fact, rugby was once played at The Dell.

On November 8, 1947, 8,000 spectators turned up to Saints' former spiritual home to see a Hampshire & Sussex XV lose 14-5 to the Australian tourists.

The Dell also once staged an American Football game.