Oct 14

Foreign Games No Croker Return Shocker

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No nay never no more. . . no more scenes like this at Croke Park. Buiochas le dia!
No nay never no more. . . no more scenes like this at Croke Park. Buiochas le dia!
ALTHOUGH lT’S normally considered polite to be asked into someone’s house before you refuse, the IRFU have stipulated that even though they haven’t been asked back to Croke Park, they won’t be going anyway.

The news that they won’t be doing something they weren’t asked to do anyway will come as great solace to those old school GAA types who considered the playing of foreign games, the presence of the English rugby team and the lusty singing of THAT song a betrayal of everything they ever stood for. One old stager from deepest Cork said, ‘it was bad enough having to listen to God Save the Queen but that Ireland’s Call tune is pure dung.”

Apparently under the terms of the agreement struck with Aviva all Irish Rugby games are to be played at the new 50,000 seater stadium and, even if the likes of Munster and Leinster were to meet again in another seismic showdown, 32,000 will miss out.
Aviva’s deal will be considered null and void unless games are played at the new stadium.
“The business model put in place to fund the building of the Aviva Stadium has been predicated upon Ireland playing all of its rugby fixtures in the home of Irish rugby,” an IRFU spokesman said.

“It is funded by way of commercial contracts with suppliers, 10-year ticket holders, box holders and, most importantly, our naming rights partner Aviva. While we are indebted to the GAA for the use of Croke Park, it was always made clear to the IRFU that Croke Park would only be available during the redevelopment of the Aviva Stadium.”

All we need now is a commitment that U2 will wreck the Aviva pitch in future and the future certainly will be bright.