novice-blogger

How typically Irish. The All Blacks - the greatest and proudest rugby nation on the planet -arrive in Dublin to play an autumn international friendly at Landsdowne Road, one of the worlds oldest rugby stadiums. But, alas, there is a fire beneath the North stand and 7-thousand fans can not attend one of the most eagerly anticipated games in years.

Yes, as you've guessed due to my disparaging tone, I was one of those individuals. However, my grievance is not solely related to my missing of the game - I am not a massive rugby fan and got the tickets for free - but it is just another one of those blatantly ridiculous, if not almost comical incidents that could only happen in Ireland.

I had been at my girlfriends graduation on the Friday. The pints were flowing from 12 o'clock so it was always going to be a heavy one! After drinking in the hotel all day we then moved to a pub in town, where I received a call just before midnight regarding this fire at Landsdowne. I was told that the whole terrace was a blaze, so I informed one of the lads with me who was actually stewarding outside the ground the following day. He made a few calls and clarified the situation. Just my luck I thought. Although not a massive rugby fan, this was the All Blacks and tickets were scarce so I was looking forward to the game. The hotel we had been in was packed with New Zealender's and the banter was great. But no, this is Ireland, where if something goes wrong there is no such thing as a back up plan or alternative arrangements.

So, no game and as I learnt the next morning the fire was in fact miniscule. Only in Ireland, the mighty All Blacks arrive and the world is watching, but a quarter of the stadium is closed. We can defend Landsdowne as an historic, traditional ground, but lets be honest, its a dilapidated third world complex. A fire, I've heard that a worker was welding something beneath the terrace that caused a gas leak which caught fire. The fire was supposedly about eight to ten feet high and was quickly distinguished. I can understand the terrace being closed on safety grounds, but it should never have happened in the first place.

The main reasons for this rant is probably embarrassment. The IRFU stated that approximately 20% of the 7-thousand inconvenienced ticket holders were from New Zealand. At worst that's 1400, which is a disgrace. Its not as if these fans had travelled up from Cork for the day! New Zealand played Wales in Cardiff last week, take on England at Twickenham on Saturday and their tour climaxes with a trip to Edinburgh. Can you imagine this happening in any of these stadiums? I don't think so. An All Blacks fan who had travelled over for the tour vented his disgust to a Sunday times reporter, "its an absolute disgrace. I don't understand how this could happen, but more so how there's no 'Plan B' whatsoever. I am bitterly disappointed and even angrier" the fan said. I agree, and as a bloke said to me in the pub the previous night - how thw f**k does a concrete terrace go on fire?

Well, I don't know, but I felt sorry for the New Zealand fans and genuinely embarrassed. Their team humiliated us on the pitch but off the pitch our Rugby associations preparations, facilities and accommodating of the New Zealand fans following the incident was far more humiliating.