Munster rugby is at home in Cork — not Limerick

THOMOND Park in Limerick is the biggest myth propagated on Munster supporters since the dawn of rugby in the province.

Yes, we have had great wins in Thomond, but we have had plenty of defeats there too. The same is true of Musgrave Park in Cork.

In addition to being beaten last Saturday by a superior Leicester side, we have lost there on numerous occasions in the Celtic/Magners League.

The Munster rugby authorities’ decision to insist on developing Thomond Park ahead of Cork is based on emotional rather than financial considerations. On that basis, it is flawed.

Munster are European champions, but this has nothing to do with Thomond Park. We had a fantastic team and their most outstanding rugby, in my view, was played against Leinster at Lansdowne Road.

As the bulldozers arrive to decimate a perfectly good Limerick ground, Munster rugby has completely lost the plot. The French teams are pulling out of the competition, and who knows what will replace it? Is purchasing a 10-year ticket for Thomond Park such a good option? In my view, the logical financial choice for development is Musgrave Park.

Cork has the population to support such an undertaking while Limerick simply does not have the capacity and the traffic situation there is disastrous for big games.

Ask any supporter who has to travel from Cork, Kerry, Waterford or elsewhere. You have to leave Cork at 11am for a 5.30 kick-off.

If Limerick cannot deal with 13,000 people arriving in Thomond now, how will it cope with 27,000 fans — it’s just madness to assume it will work.

Cork people will finally stop travelling. We have a two-hour wait on the Dock Road. With 27,000 people that could end up being four or five hours.

Munster rugby is not all about Limerick, as we are being led to believe. Go through the Munster squad and you find a minority of players come from Limerick. True, they love their rugby there, as we all know, but the attendances in Cork suggest an even greater love of the game as the numbers going through the turnstiles are significantly higher than at Thomond Park.

I think it’s incredible that Cork rugby clubs have allowed this development to take place.

Cork Constitution have decided to sell their grounds. Would a city council-initiated compulsory purchase order (CPO), at a fair price, be such a bad option? Or apply a CPO to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Let the GAA have it for free. Anybody else would pay the city council rental to open the gates. Everybody wins.

Cork city is set to lose millions of revenue because it does not have a top-class ground. &

Let’s think clearly about what rugby in Cork needs and not make the same mistake as our Limerick friends. Location is the key.

John Kenneally

Model Farm Road

Cork