Welsh offer Cardiff instead of Croke Park

The IRFU should forget about Croke Park and play their home fixtures at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff while Lansdowne Road is being redeveloped.

That was the message last night from Welsh Rugby Union chairman David Pickering as he courted Irish Rugby Football Union officials in the aftermath of Ireland’s RBS Six Nations victory at Lansdowne Road.

Pickering promised the IRFU a financial bonanza and huge support if they move base from Dublin to Wales during the construction period of the new Lansdowne Road.

“We have made the IRFU aware that the Millennium Stadium is available to accommodate Ireland’s ‘home’ matches in the next couple of years, whenever they decide to re-develop and for however long the construction works take.

“We have been down that road ourselves in Wales when we had to move to Wembley. It was actually quite successful from a financial point of view and won us a bigger support base.”

The former Welsh international flanker described it as a wonderful marketing ploy for Ireland to spread the game wider to a community of Celts that might not often get the opportunity to see the men in green in action.

“The Millennium Stadium holds 75,000 people and I could imagine there would be a lot of interest from Irish people living in Britain. Come to think of it, the way Ireland are playing at the moment, there would also be a huge amount of interest amongst Welsh fans and we could guarantee that they would all be shouting for Ireland, against non-Welsh opposition of course.”

The 43-year-old Pickering insisted that the IRFU would also reap the financial rewards. “Without getting into the nitty gritty of finances, it would be worth their while. The Millennium Stadium caters for 75,000, well above the capacity of Lansdowne Road. Whatever rent might cost them, it would still be financially viable from their perspective.”

Pickering made it clear that Wales should be Ireland’s spiritual home during the construction phase.

“I don’t think Ireland could get any closer in terms of bonding than by going to Wales. There is a very special relationship between the two countries. Hell, we even have some fun in between all the mayhem.

“I played against Ireland four times, won three and lost one but there was always something special about these games, a special bond of friendship that went beyond the match.

“It’s nice to see that the bond has continued from the amateur to the professional era. We take on France in a couple of week’s time and Ireland go to play England. Wouldn’t it be nice if us Celts could bring off the double and make a mockery of the plans for a France/England Grand Slam decider?”

While the IRFU are delighted with the recent Government decision to support a joint proposal with the FAI to develop Lansdowne Road, no start-up date for the project has been set.

Demolition and re-building time has, however, been estimated at two years and both associations will have to find an alternative venue.

It is believed that the Scottish Rugby Union has already tentatively offered Murrayfield as an option to the rugby fraternity but that would not appear to be a runner.

The preference would obviously be to stay in Ireland but there are no suitable alternatives outside the jurisdiction of the GAA, who are expected to rule on the controversial proposal to open up their grounds to other sports at their annual congress in Killarney in the middle of April.

Until then, the Irish Rugby Union will not be prepared to make a decision on moving outside the country.

Ultimately, the GAA will be the playmakers on this particular issue, although tourism interests, desperate to keep money in the country, could well have an influential role to play.