Semple Stadium omission from Rugby World Cup bid plans is ‘sickening’

Tipperary GAA chiefs have expressed disappointment that Semple Stadium has been omitted from the stadia comprising Ireland’s 2023 Rugby World Cup bid, as TDs from the county are set to demand answers for its omission.

Fianna Fáil’s Jackie Cahill and Labour’s Alan Kelly are looking for clarification after the GAA’s second biggest stadium was not included on the list. Cahill aims to raise the issue in the Dáil today after describing the snub as “incomprehensible”, while Kelly said the decision to omit the Thurles venue from the provisional list of 12 revealed yesterday is “beyond comprehension”.

While county board secretary Tim Floyd was more philosophical about the decision, he admitted the news had taken him by surprise.

“This is an IRFU decision and they would have made it based on geographical and strategic reasons. We would be disappointed, but we don’t have any control over it. There is no guarantee some of the listed venues will even get matches. The IRFU visited the stadium twice and were happy with the facilities and the infrastructure, but they have their own reasons for making this decision.”

Cahill has been informed a lack of hotel beds in his native Thurles was a factor considered, but he couldn’t hide his disappointment after hearing the news.

“I can’t understand it. I’m told it’s a lack of hotel beds, but Thurles is within three miles of the motorway and has one of the best rail infrastructures in the country. It’s the second largest stadium in the country, with an impeccable record of holding big crowds.

“It’s incomprehensible for me, as a Thurles man. I find it sickening that it has been overlooked.

“Killarney is on the list, a fine field, but very little seating accommodation and, to get to Killarney from Dublin is a day’s work. Fly into Dublin airport and you’re in Thurles in an hour-and-a-quarter. Fly into Cork and you’re in Thurles in an hour, Shannon the same way, plus the railway line is within a couple of hundred yards of the stadium.”

Kelly remarked: “I’m very disappointed that Thurles isn’t included and I would ask for it to be reconsidered. Thurles is one of the best stadia in the country and has a long association with sport. I can’t understand what infrastructure issues are there to prevent it from being one of the chosen venues. Thurles can deal with 50,000 people for a Munster final in its environs and the businesses and townspeople believed Semple Stadium would be on the list. It’s a huge negative for the people of Thurles and surrounds.”

Limerick secretary Mike O’Riordan said they didn’t anticipate the Gaelic Grounds would be listed to host World Cup games in seven years.

“It wasn’t expected. We are 500 yards away from Thomond Park and, while that’s a pitch well suited for rugby, ours wouldn’t be. With the size of the ground and its closeness to Thomond Park, we would have thought they were going elsewhere.”

Meanwhile, top GAA officials remain hopeful the bid will ensure the new plans to reconstruct Casement Park are given the go-ahead. It’s believed, privately, that without the plans to host the tournament, the new west Belfast stadium would be almost impossible to get off the ground.

Though there has been some support for the scaled-down 34,500-capacity stadium from local groups, both the Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents Association says the latest blueprint released last month was “not a significant reduction” in size from the original 40,000-capacity proposal, for which Ulster GAA had planning permission rejected two years ago. The GAA hope to have the stadium open for the 2020 Ulster finals and are buoyed by the Northern Ireland Executive’s support for the World Cup bid. Casement Park and Kingspan Stadium (Ravenhill) are two of the proposed 2023 venues in Ulster, along with Derry’s Celtic Park.