Balancing rugby’s need with Páirc life

A couple of weeks ago, yours truly touched on the Páirc Uí Chaoimh funding issue with reference to the wider context, namely the Irish bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023, and the other, well-equipped challengers for that honour, like Italy and South Africa.

It now appears that another country has entered the lists — French sports newspaper Midi Olympique reported a few days ago week that France would bid for the same tournament.

Given the French press’s legendary closeness to the rugby establishment — exhibit A, L’Equipe’s disgracing of themselves with scurrilous smearing of Ronan O’Gara — then one would be inclined to take this report as an unofficial press release on behalf of the FFR.