Rebels’ opener to clash with rugby

The Cork footballers’ Allianz Division 1 opener away to Armagh will clash with Sunday week’s Six Nations rugby match between Ireland and Wales.

Armagh County Board secretary Paddy Óg Nugent yesterday confirmed he had received correspondence from Croke Park stating the game at the Morgan Athletic Grounds will throw-in at 2.30pm as planned.

The game will also be televised live on TG4, and will start 30 minutes earlier than kick-off at the Aviva Stadium.

“Cork had looked for the game to be brought back to two o’clock because of the travel up,” said Nugent.

“But I’ve just got word from Croke Park that TG4 will be showing the game live.”

Viewership of Division 1 champions Cork beginning the quest for a third consecutive title is likely to be impacted upon as the Ireland-Wales game is a repeat of last October’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final.

It is not the first time a senior inter-county game at the Armagh city venue has clashed with a major rival sporting event. Armagh and Down’s Ulster quarter-final last May coincided with the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United, although it had little effect on the crowd as a healthy 13,107 turned up.

As revealed by the Irish Examiner earlier this week, Mayo have applied for an earlier throw-in for their Division 1 game against Dublin on February 11 to avoid conflicting with the France v Ireland Six Nations game (8pm kick-off).

The chances of them having the game brought forward by 30 minutes to 6.30pm are good as Setanta Sports, who have the rights to Saturday night league games, are behind the request to the Central Competitions Control Committee.

Meanwhile, the GAA have no plans to change the throw-in times of their Allianz Football League final round games to avoid clashing with the Heineken Cup rugby quarter-final between Munster and Ulster.

The provinces face one another in Thomond Park at 1.45pm with the football games, and possibly the Division 1B hurling final, commencing 45 minutes later.

GAA director of games administration and player welfare Feargal McGill said it’s unlikely accommodations will be made as, in the interests of fairness, all the football games’ starting times would have to change as a result.

“One of the difficulties we face is all of the final round games have to throw-in at the same time,” said McGill.

“In the past, sometimes when there was a clash we would have tried to accommodate individual counties, especially from Munster, who requested time changes.

“At the moment, the games are all scheduled for 2.30. The games could possibly be played later in the day but we have had no contact from any county about it thus far.”

While GAA president Christy Cooney last dismissed the possibility of the association switching the All-Ireland senior club finals away from St Patrick’s Day to avoid clashing with the Six Nations game between Ireland and England in Twickenham there is the possibility it might happen.

The hurling and football deciders, which had 2pm and 3.45pm throw-ins last March, could be brought forward by up to an hour to ensure the later football game doesn’t overlap the rugby.