Former stars show mixed emotions

FORMER rugby stars Keith Wood, Reggie Corrigan and Frankie Sheahan had mixed emotions as they strolled around the new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road in the sunshine yesterday.

All were in awe at the majesty of the development and the stark contrasts to its predecessor. But one suspected the trio harboured a tinge of disappointment that they will never have the chance to play on its turf.

Sheahan recalled his first sight of the interior of the ground.

“Martin Murphy (stadium manager) took us on a tour and said, ‘this is Aviva and it speaks for itself’. And it did.

“I looked around and I just suddenly gasped, ‘wow’ was the only word you could use. It will have a great atmosphere. The seats are nearly on the field and it looks very intimate and it’s great that they have kept that from the old stadium.”

That’s the fans taken care of. But what of the players? How will they find their new surrounds?

Sheahan enthused: “I particularly enjoyed the dressing rooms. They are very comfortable with little lockers and even a place at the back where you could do an indoor warm-up and a few line-outs. It’s nice to have that option if it’s raining hard outside.”

Corrigan too was fulsome in his praise of a development which he believes will quickly become a source of national pride. He explained: “What struck me is the number of vantage points from which you can see the stadium. It has become a landmark on the Dublin skyline.

“I felt proud when we went to Croke Park that we could show the world that we had that kind of stadium. I took great pride in being Irish on seeing that and this stadium will bring that pride on to an even higher level.

“I’m jealous of those lads who are going to run out on that pitch and I’m looking forward to seeing games here.

“Maybe it will be too small when France and England and New Zealand come but the other argument to that is Croke Park was too big on many occasions.”

Wood continued on that decreased capacity theme, arguing that it will not be an issue for the majority of high profile fixtures.

“While it was a fantastic success, the truth of it is that it only achieved a fantastic atmosphere on a few occasions. The first England game stands out and I suppose the one we lost to France.”

The sceptics will always be there who believe that moving from a stadium at Croke Park that accommodates 82,000 people and dropping back to 51,000 at Aviva doesn’t make sense. Philip Browne referred to the purchase of approximately 100 acres at Newlands Cross in 1994 and while that property remained a possibility for development, the decision was taken to stay at what had been their spiritual home since 1872.

“We are absolutely satisfied with the decisions we have made,” Browne insisted yesterday. “Newlands Cross gave us options and we learned a lot from feasibility studies there and elsewhere. In terms of capacity here, it’s absolutely bang on for us.

“We’ve struggled at times to fill Croke Park and the clubs have taken the brunt of that.

“The ultimate aim of this facility is to be the financial engine that drives our sport.

” This will drive rugby and soccer for the next 50 years and we have no concerns of the ability of this facility to do that for us.