France and England set to earn IRFU €6m Croker bonanza

THE IRFU could bank a staggering €6 million as France and England return to Croke Park for two glamour Six Nations fixtures in February 2009.

The RBS Six Nations fixture list, released yesterday, brings rugby back to GAA headquarters for a third consecutive year in a repeat of the historic first two rugby matches played at Croke Park in February 2007.

Ireland open their campaign against Marc Lievremont’s France on Saturday, February 7 with England scheduled to return to Croker three weeks later.

The France game will mark the new Ireland coach’s first Six Nations match in charge while Martin Johnson will be making his first visit to Croke Park as England boss.

Assured of two capacity sell-outs, ticket sales will account for a large percentage of profit, but TV revenue which is set to increase and ancillary events such as corporate hospitality, could net the IRFU a handsome profit after stadium rent is paid to the GAA.

These fixtures proved hugely successful 15 months ago in a golden period for Irish rugby. Brian O’Driscoll’s men had their Grand Slam hopes denied by France when Vincent Clerc scored a late try, but England were put to the sword a fortnight later in a 43-13 defeat which marked Eddie O’Sullivan’s finest hour as head coach.

The new Lansdowne Road is not scheduled to open until late 2010, but its 50,000 capacity will not be enough to cater for major international fixtures, which may force the IRFU to request future games against France and England at Croke Park.

Meanwhile after playing France, Ireland travel to Rome on St Valentine’s weekend. This will be Ireland’s only Sunday game and they have never lost a Six Nations fixture to Italy at the Stadio Flaminio.

The following Saturday, the new Ireland coach will be aiming to repeat the heroics of 2007 against Johnson’s England at Croke Park before facing Scotland 14 days later at Murrayfield.

In what is another welcome move by Six Nations chiefs, Ireland can look forward to mostly late kick-offs with the games against France and Scotland at 5pm while the England match and Ireland’s last fixture, in Cardiff against Wales, will both start at 5.30pm.

The encounter with Warren Gatland’s Wales at the Millennium Stadium will also be the final game of the 2009 Championship.

The Championship also marks an historic first Friday night game between France and Wales, which has been set for February 27 at the Stade de France.

Gatland, who led Wales to Grand Slam glory last month, insists the Friday night fixture in Paris, kicking off at 9pm local time, will not concern him unduly.

“Travelling to France is always a tough proposition and playing on a Friday night will be interesting, but it won’t faze us,” said the Kiwi.

“We’ll go into the Championship as the holders and that automatically means other teams will be gunning for us from the outset, but that’s a position we will relish being in.

“The fixture list is pretty much the flip side of the one that treated us so well this year; it offers us different challenges with three games on the road.

“But we are given the opportunity to go to both Scotland and Italy where the players will feel they didn’t get their performance right in 2007, and we’ll have the chance to put that right.

“We will prepare in the same professional way as we do for any other game and we are lucky to have an impressive band of travelling supporters who can help bring a home atmosphere to any away fixture.

“It’s impossible to assess what form any of the sides will be in when it comes to competition time and there is plenty of rugby to be played before we get the chance to defend our title.”

Ireland Fixtures: Sat Feb 7: Ireland v France, Croke Park (5pm); Sun Feb 15: Italy v Ireland, Stadio Flaminio (2.30pm); Sat Feb 28: Ireland v England, Croke Park (5.30pm); Sat Mar 14: Scotland v Ireland, Murrayfield (5pm); Sat Mar 21: Wales v Ireland, Millennium Stadium (5.30pm)

Full Fixture list: Sat Feb 7: England v Italy, Twickenham, 3pm; Ireland v France, 5pm; Sun Feb 8: Scotland v Wales, 3pm; Sat Feb 14: France v Scotland, 3pm; Wales v England, 5.30pm; Sun, Feb 15 Italy v Ireland, 2.30pm; Fri, Feb 27 France v Wales, 8pm; Sat, Feb 28: Scotland v Italy, 3pm; Ireland v England, Croke Park, 5.30pm; Sat, Mar 14: Italy v Wales, 3pm; Scotland v Ireland, 5pm; Sun, Mar 15: England v France, 3pm; Sat, Mar 21st: Italy v France, 1.15pm; England v Scotland, 3.30pm; Wales v Ireland, 5.30pm.