Lansdowne Road, the home of Irish rugby, seen here during a Munster-Leinster game.
The traditional home of Irish rugby is Lansdowne Road in Dublin, where most of Ireland's home matches were held until the venue's demolition and replacement by Aviva Stadium. The original stadium, owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union, was built in 1872, and at the time of its closure in 2007 was the oldest international rugby venue still used for the sport. The stadium site continues to hold the distinction as the oldest still in use for international rugby. In 1878 the ground hosted its first rugby Test, with Ireland playing host to the English (the first representative rugby match had taken place prior to the Test, a game between Ulster and Leinster). Lansdowne Road had a capacity of just over 49,000 before it was demolished in summer 2007. The new 50,000 all-seater Aviva Stadium was opened on the Lansdowne Road site in May 2010. The final Irish Test prior to work commencing on the stadium was against the Pacific Islanders in late 2006. With Lansdowne Road unavailable for use, Ireland was without a suitable home ground for the subsequent Six Nations. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) owned Croke Park (an 82,500 capacity stadium) was made available for Ireland's two home games against France and England in 2007. It was the first time ever that rugby was played at the venue. Croke Park remained in use for Ireland's Six Nations matches and other major Tests until the opening of Aviva Stadium.
No comments:
Post a Comment