Get this show on the road
Croker cathedral should play host to all of Irish rugby’s biggest days
SOME stadiums just have a ‘wow’ factor.
Anyone who has ever attended a game at the Millennium Stadium, Stade de France or Twickenham on a Six Nations weekend will tell you the same thing. Massive, sprawling arenas. Proper cauldrons. Giant structures which shake when the home crowd find their voice.
The French know how to build a good stadium. Many of them – including the magnificent Stade Velodrome in Marseille – were on show for some brilliant games during last year’s World Cup.
There are superb stadiums located across Europe. The Americans have built dozens of them. Soldier Field in Chicago was a fitting setting for Ireland’s maiden win against the All Blacks.
Croke Park has that same vibe. It is in a league of its own on this island. No other stadium in the country comes close.
We still hear about the reaction of the sizeable group of French journalists who arrived at Croker in 2007 before Ireland took on Les Bleus.
After the gates of GAA HQ swung open following the amendment of Rule 42, this was the first Six Nations encounter in this part of town. And the travelling French press corps were apparently blown away by Croke Park.
After years of filing to deadlines at the old Lansdowne Road, they couldn’t believe that such a modern, grand and marvellous arena was located on the other side of town. Where were ye hiding this place, lads?
We saw a demolition of England on a historic and emotionallycharged occasion a few weeks later. The following year, a record crowd of 82,208 took in a seismic Heineken Cup semi-final between Leinster and Munster – the largest attendance for a club rugby game on the planet at the time.
This felt like a proper stage for Irish rugby. Aviva Stadium had a lot to live up to, clearly.
In truth, Lansdowne Road 2.0 has always felt a bit small, in every sense of the word. The 51,711 capacity is simply not enough to accommodate the vast swells of supporters who want to attend the biggest rugby games.
That point really hit home last week when the Leinster branch managed to shift its entire allocation of tickets for their Champions Cup semi-final game against Northampton Saints in less than 24 hours. Croke Park sold out in less than a day. Let that sink in.
There’s the novelty value of the venue, of course. This will be Leinster’s first game in front of Hill 16 in 15 years. And the hype machine around the province has shifted into overdrive lately.
The IRFU and Leinster were taken aback by the sheer demand for tickets. There hasn’t been a clamour for seats like this since Garth Brooks descended on Jones’s Road.
Surely it has got the power brokers in the game thinking? This arrangement came about because the Aviva was out of commission due to preparations around the Europa League final. Croke Park and the Aviva will both be seeing more Leinster action next season as well, with the RDS undergoing some much-needed reconstruction.
Long term, however, the IRFU should be giving serious thought to using this stadium on a more consistent basis, when it comes to the big games. We’re talking England or France in the Six Nations. Or the All Blacks and Springboks in the autumn. Croke Park would be the proper setting.
For one thing, it would allow the IRFU to shift another 30,000 tickets. Clearly, the demand is there.
The GAA wouldn’t be complaining either. It is understood they pocketed somewhere in the region of €36million when they leased out their premises to the IRFU and FAI between 2007 and 2010.
It would be win-win for all concerned. The Aviva could still be used for Six Nations clashes with Wales, Scotland and Italy. November meetings with Australia, Fiji and Argentina would suit, too.
But when it comes to the big blockbuster days, Croke Park is surely a no-brainer.
There are other factors as well. The atmosphere – or lack thereof – at Aviva Stadium has been well documented for quite some time.
The increasingly corporate feel to the Six Nations match-day experience is inescapable. You constantly hear stories of rugby supporters across the land, many of whom are involved with local clubs as coaches, administrators or volunteers, being unable to get their hands on a ticket for a big match.
The lack of noise and volume at games has jarred for quite some time, especially considering that Andy Farrell’s squad have been riding the crest of a wave since 2021. It’s not like those in attendance haven’t had anything to shout about in recent times.
The memory of Stade de France rocking for some of Ireland’s World Cup games last year was a stark contract to the anodyne atmosphere which is a regular occurrence at the Aviva.
Perhaps it’s time to take the show on the road? A bigger arena would allow more diehard fans through the turnstiles.
Will it happen? The IRFU has sunk a considerable investment into redeveloping their own stadium. In truth, a lot of people within the organisation know there are issues with the Aviva across the board. It’s not a grand enough arena for the big days.
No doubt, there would be plenty of dissenters within GAA circles about rugby internationals becoming a firm fixture on their turf. It’s probably worth reminding said dissenters that a lot of taxpayers’ money went into the building and several refurbishments of Croke Park. Yes, it’s the GAA’s stadium but they got plenty of financial help along the way.
It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out in the coming years. Already we are seeing a closer working relationship between Munster and the Cork County Board.
The games against South Africa A and the Crusaders at Páirc Uí Chaoimh were a resounding success and win-win for all concerned.
It won’t be long before a big interpro derby against Leinster is hosted on Leeside. How long until a Champions Cup game plays out on the banks of the Lee, especially when you can accommodate an extra 20,000 spectators?
The penny is literally and figuratively going to drop soon. Leinster and Ireland are outgrowing their current homes. The RDS and Aviva Stadium simply can’t cope with the demand.
Saturday’s clash with Northampton is sure to be a special occasion. Plenty of the visitors have experienced places like Thomond Park, the RDS and Aviva Stadium.
But nothing will prepare them for what’s about to unfold at Croke Park.
They say what’s seldom is wonderful, but be big rugby games at this stadium should be a regular occurrence.
A bigger arena would allow more diehard fans through the turnstiles