When the final whistle is blown at Murrayfield, in Ireland’s final Six Nations match against Scotland, it is likely that rugby will disappear off the radar for most of the Irish population except for the supporters who religiously follow the four provinces in the Champions Cup and Pro12. This begs the question; is the IRFU doing enough to promote the game outside rugby strongholds on this island?
February equates to one thing in rugby circles; the Six Nations. In Ireland, the anticipation cannot be greater. Reigning champions, a first Test series win in the southern hemisphere since 1979 and of course the scalps of South Africa and Australia in the autumn series. The country’s attention will be griped over the seven weeks the championship is on and many will have high hopes of success, even whispers of ‘Grand slam’ can be heard around Lansdowne Road.
This is par for the course for the national rugby team. However, this year is different as Ireland will being playing with the knowledge that they are bidding for the Rugby World Cup in 2023. The popularity of the game has grown exponentially on the island in recent years but is interest strong enough to host a World Cup that can promise sold out stadia in places such as Castlebar, County Mayo and Killarney, Co. Kerry, where Gaelic Football is king and rugby takes a back seat?
The provinces, over recent seasons, have started to spread the game throughout the country. Ulster has held training sessions in Donegal Town and Derry City and Leinster has pitched up in Dundalk. However, with the exception of Munster, who play a game every so often in Musgrave Park, Cork, none of the four provinces has played a home game outside their normal home grounds in Dublin, Belfast, Limerick and Galway in the past few years.
If the provinces rarely leave home comforts, then the Irish rugby team must be house bound as they play outside Ballsbridge as regularly as Ireland achieve Grand Slams. Since the turn of the century Ireland have played only six home games outside of Dublin; four tests and two non-capped internationals. Five games have taken place at Thomond Park (another one scheduled for this coming May) and one at Ravenhill (now Kingspan Stadium) in 2007 which was the first Irish international in Belfast for 53 years. If the IRFU refuses to take internationals tests to other rugby strongholds throughout Ireland then there is very little chance of games being scheduled for rugby outposts.
The IRFU may argue that it has invested much money in rebuilding Lansdowne Road and the provinces’ stadia and therefore these facilities must be used as frequently as possible to get full value for money. A fair point; but what a shot in the arm for the oval game if the Irish team played an international in Galway or Derry or even Clones in Monaghan where there is only one rugby club in the whole county affiliated to the Ulster Branch. However, the likelihood of internationals being played outside of D4 is nil as the IRFU signed a deal with Aviva meaning Ireland’s test matches can only be played at Lansdowne Road for the next 10 years.
There are 222 rugby clubs and counting in the 32 counties. The popularity of the game is at an all-time high on the island with the high win rate of the national team in the Six Nations and Irish provinces conquering Europe time and again. The IRFU and the provinces have played their part in growing the game by sending out coaches to non-rugby schools and having training sessions around the country allowing young people to meet their heroes at their local club. But the staging of games is what really captures the public’s imagination and if the IRFU wins the bid for the 2023 World Cup and wishes its tournament to be a success, then it would do well to abandon its attitude that playing Ireland’s home games outside the capital is beyond the Pale.
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