IRFU unveil 250m Lansdowne plan

IRFU bosses yesterday unveiled a 250m plan to demolish Lansdowne Road and rebuild it as a national stadium to accommodating rugby and soccer.

The new 50,000 seater stadium would be 550m less than the Government’s plan for the Bertie Bowl at Abbotstown, which was estimated at 800m IRFU chief executive Philip Browne and IRFU representatives met sports minister John O’Donoghue yesterday to unveil their blueprint for the new construction.

The IRFU plan includes recommendations to allow for all Irish international soccer matches to be held in the revamped stadium A new Lansdowne Road stadium would run from north to south as it does at the moment, but the entire structure would have to be demolished and the ground rebuilt.