Wasps look set to break this season’s Aviva Premiership home attendance record after the club announced that over 22,700 tickets have been sold for their first game at the Ricoh Arena.

With 11 days still to go before the black and golds entertain London Irish in Coventry, ticket sales already indicate that the attendance will trump a crowd of 22,639 who turned up to see Leicester Tigers at Welford Road earlier in the season.

The all-time record for attendance at a home match in the Premiership was also set by Leicester and stands at 24,000 – a number which could yet be overtaken should demand for tickets continue to be high.

Wasps captain James Haskell is relishing the prospect of starting the club’s tenure in Coventry in front of a record crowd.

He said: “Professional rugby players want to play in front of big crowds, so it’s massively exciting to see that the game has sold so many tickets.

“The match is just around the corner now and the squad are buzzing about the prospect of playing in front of a packed Ricoh. It should be some atmosphere in 11 days time.”