Schools Rugby in Donnybrook

[Leinsterman]

until that is, the daily dose of the cash cow and sacred cow that is the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup tears it up during February.

Errrr..... does the Senior cup actually bring in that much money? How much are tickets for those games and do the cash receipts go any way towards reparing the damage inflicted on the pitch?
Also, we'll have the SCT semis and final played there this season.

[Duff Paddy]

until that is, the daily dose of the cash cow and sacred cow that is the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup tears it up during February.

Errrr..... does the Senior cup actually bring in that much money? How much are tickets for those games and do the cash receipts go any way towards reparing the damage inflicted on the pitch?
Also, we'll have the SCT semis and final played there this season.

There are relatively very few schools cup matches played in donnybrook these days. Attendances at the ones played there are very healthy, added to sponsorship money from coca cola and tv money from Setanta.

The pitch damage argument is a non runner this year as so few Leinster games are played there anymore, added to the fact that the new pitch should be properly bedded down by this season. Anyway, where else could you hold these matches in the latter stages when the crowds are very big?

[Donny B.]

until that is, the daily dose of the cash cow and sacred cow that is the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup tears it up during February.

Errrr..... does the Senior cup actually bring in that much money? How much are tickets for those games and do the cash receipts go any way towards reparing the damage inflicted on the pitch?
Also, we'll have the SCT semis and final played there this season.

There are relatively very few schools cup matches played in donnybrook these days. Attendances at the ones played there are very healthy, added to sponsorship money from coca cola and tv money from Setanta.

The pitch damage argument is a non runner this year as so few Leinster games are played there anymore, added to the fact that the new pitch should be properly bedded down by this season. Anyway, where else could you hold these matches in the latter stages when the crowds are very big?

How do you work that out Duffer?

All of the rest of our home games will be played in Donnybrook this season.
There's nowhere else available.

[Duff Paddy]

How do you work that out Duffer?

All of the rest of our home games will be played in Donnybrook this season.
There's nowhere else available.

It's January and the pitch is in good nick. There's relatively few schools matches being played there this year. The pitch is supposed to be properly bedded in by this season. Compared to other grounds, Donnybrook has a light workload this year, it should be fine.

[bluesky]

until that is, the daily dose of the cash cow and sacred cow that is the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup tears it up during February.

Errrr..... does the Senior cup actually bring in that much money? How much are tickets for those games and do the cash receipts go any way towards reparing the damage inflicted on the pitch?
Also, we'll have the SCT semis and final played there this season.

There are relatively very few schools cup matches played in donnybrook these days. Attendances at the ones played there are very healthy, added to sponsorship money from coca cola and tv money from Setanta.

The pitch damage argument is a non runner this year as so few Leinster games are played there anymore, added to the fact that the new pitch should be properly bedded down by this season. Anyway, where else could you hold these matches in the latter stages when the crowds are very big?

Where I was sitting in Donnybrook last saturday, the pitch didn't look in that tremendous nick. There were bald bits all over it. It would only take two or three schools matches during the space of seven days to make it Donnybeach again.

[Leinsterman]

There are relatively very few schools cup matches played in donnybrook these days. Attendances at the ones played there are very healthy, added to sponsorship money from coca cola and tv money from Setanta.

The pitch damage argument is a non runner this year as so few Leinster games are played there anymore, added to the fact that the new pitch should be properly bedded down by this season. Anyway, where else could you hold these matches in the latter stages when the crowds are very big?

Well that's true with the first point I guess.

As for the second point - the pitch looked in great nick but it's still only the second week in January. We should get a better view of how the pitch is holding up by March when the SCT games are just about finished. We have 4 home games left and they are reasonably well spread out so hopefully we won't have another "Donnybrook Dustbowl" fiasco.

[Donny B.]

How do you work that out Duffer?

All of the rest of our home games will be played in Donnybrook this season.
There's nowhere else available.

It's January and the pitch is in good nick. There's relatively few schools matches being played there this year. The pitch is supposed to be properly bedded in by this season. Compared to other grounds, Donnybrook has a light workload this year, it should be fine.

The pitch was in great nick at this time last year too.

By the Connacht match in March it had become "Donnybrook beach".

We're being told that the pitch should have bedded down, but again we were told that again last year.

The main point is that the quality of the pitch has to be assessed from game to game. If it's apparant that the surface is suffering through overuse then schools games will have to move to other venues.

I'm not saying no schools games should be played in Donnybrook at all, but there has to be limit. The senior team is the priority and their needs must come first.

If we end up with a beach for a pitch for the third year running, we'll be a laughing stock.

[Duff Paddy]

Actually Donny and Bluesky you are right - I am talking through my arse. Just looking at the schools fixtures and there's more in donnybrook than I thought, also the semis etc are listed for Lansdowne but obviously can't be played there so the pitch will be fine for Edinburgh in the H Cup but as for the other 4 remaining home matches - well Scarlets on 26th Jan (before schools matches in brook) is fine too, Edinburgh on 16th Feb should be fine but the last two matches against Connacht and the Borders well we could be in trouble.

[Duff Paddy]

I'm not saying no schools games should be played in Donnybrook at all, but there has to be limit. The senior team is the priority and their needs must come first.

If we end up with a beach for a pitch for the third year running, we'll be a laughing stock.

I agree. I thought they'd moved more of the matches out of Donnybrook but they're still playing a lot of the junior cup matches there unnecessarily. The dilemma is that many of the senior cup matches attract big crowds and there's no other grounds with big stands - Stradbrook stand is a joke, UCD have a decent stand, Greystones have a decent stand, Clontarf's is okay etc.

[Donny B.]

Actually Donny and Bluesky you are right - I am talking through my arse. Just looking at the schools fixtures and there's more in donnybrook than I thought, also the semis etc are listed for Lansdowne but obviously can't be played there so the pitch will be fine for Edinburgh in the H Cup but as for the other 4 remaining home matches - well Scarlets on 26th Jan (before schools matches in brook) is fine too, Edinburgh on 16th Feb should be fine but the last two matches against Connacht and the Borders well we could be in trouble.

Right who's hacked Duff's password?

This ain't the Duffer I know!

[Duff Paddy]

Right who's hacked Duff's password?

This ain't the Duffer I know!

This is the new improved Dufster - humble, conciliatory and non-confrontational.

[Donny B.]

I'm not saying no schools games should be played in Donnybrook at all, but there has to be limit. The senior team is the priority and their needs must come first.

If we end up with a beach for a pitch for the third year running, we'll be a laughing stock.

I agree. I thought they'd moved more of the matches out of Donnybrook but they're still playing a lot of the junior cup matches there unnecessarily. The dilemma is that many of the senior cup matches attract big crowds and there's no other grounds with big stands - Stradbrook stand is a joke, UCD have a decent stand, Greystones have a decent stand, Clontarf's is okay etc.

I was thinking Clontarf wouldn't be a bad alternartive and also Templeville Road is quite a good venue. I admit that could cut down on the crowds but a compromise has to be reached somewhere along the line.

I hope Chieka is quite vocal to the branch about this. I know he was seriously p*ssed off about what happened to the pitch last year.

[Donny B.]

Right who's hacked Duff's password?

This ain't the Duffer I know!

This is the new improved Dufster - humble, conciliatory and non-confrontational.

We'll see how long that lasts!

[Duff Paddy]

I'd say about half way through my hip flask on saturday

[LeinsterBabe]

Right who's hacked Duff's password?

This ain't the Duffer I know!

This is the new improved Dufster - humble, conciliatory and non-confrontational.

You feeling ok?

[Flash Gordon]

Leinster have outgrown Donnybrook

It'll be a cold day in hell

The brook is an absolute shoite heap. Its probably the worst professional rugby ground I've been in since the days I used to trek down to Sunbury and stand on a pile of mud watching London Irish. Last weekend the terraces were packed and uncomfortable, large passages of play were invisable to me - and I'm 6'4" - (some of the girls around us couldn't see a thing for most of the match and has to rely on our "commentary". As for the playing surface, in the second half of the season it's dangerous - possibly one of the worst in Europe.

Can't get to the RDS soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

[CM]

We're being told that the pitch should have bedded down, but again we were told that again last year.

No we weren't! The difference between this year and last is that the pitch has had the requisite time off for the grass to grow properly. It only had 2 months in the lead in to last season but the required, manafacturers recommended 4 months before this season. I'm not saying it will last the season but in theory it should whereas last year the theory and reality matched up.

A lot will obviously depend on the weather too but I can't see this year being any different to any other year so rain still will affect the pitch.

As for the RDS, can't wait. DB is holding us back.

[Uncle Mort]

We're being told that the pitch should have bedded down, but again we were told that again last year.

No we weren't! The difference between this year and last is that the pitch has had the requisite time off for the grass to grow properly. It only had 2 months in the lead in to last season but the required, manafacturers recommended 4 months before this season. I'm not saying it will last the season but in theory it should whereas last year the theory and reality matched up.

A lot will obviously depend on the weather too but I can't see this year being any different to any other year so rain still will affect the pitch.

As for the RDS, can't wait. DB is holding us back.

I too think that the RDS is the long term future for Leinster Rugby (and in that I mean the senior / professional team). What must be sorted is that the children always play on a different pitch. The situation, a bit down the line, can not be allowed to develop where someone says that the children's matches are getting big crowds so they should be moved to the larger RDS. Let them have DB - children like to play in the sand and keep the best for the best.

[cud]

Leinster have outgrown Donnybrook

It'll be a cold day in hell

The brook is an absolute shoite heap. Its probably the worst professional rugby ground I've been in since the days I used to trek down to Sunbury and stand on a pile of mud watching London Irish. Last weekend the terraces were packed and uncomfortable, large passages of play were invisable to me - and I'm 6'4" - (some of the girls around us couldn't see a thing for most of the match and has to rely on our "commentary". As for the playing surface, in the second half of the season it's dangerous - possibly one of the worst in Europe.

Can't get to the RDS soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

What about the new Donnybrook? Most or all of the problems regarding facilities will be sorted out. If we are getting somewhere near the capacity 12,000 in for non derby ML games we will be doing very, very well in my opinion.

[Dave Cahill]

It'll be a cold day in hell

The brook is an absolute shoite heap. Its probably the worst professional rugby ground I've been in since the days I used to trek down to Sunbury and stand on a pile of mud watching London Irish. Last weekend the terraces were packed and uncomfortable, large passages of play were invisable to me - and I'm 6'4" - (some of the girls around us couldn't see a thing for most of the match and has to rely on our "commentary". As for the playing surface, in the second half of the season it's dangerous - possibly one of the worst in Europe.

Can't get to the RDS soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

What about the new Donnybrook? Most or all of the problems regarding facilities will be sorted out. If we are getting somewhere near the capacity 12,000 in for non derby ML games we will be doing very, very well in my opinion.

For a professional sports club, in a major european capital city, with the number of marquee names we have, 12k should be the bare minimum for a sunday afternoon game against the borders in the rain if things are done properly