RUGBY: The full IRFU committee will convene for their monthly meeting tomorrow with the primary topic of discussion being the fall-out from the Government climbdown on the proposed National Stadium

In the wake of that announcement one of the scenarios being bandied about, not least by the PDs, is that the IRFU should be allowed to use Croke Park while Lansdowne Road is redeveloped, but as will be pointed out at the committee meeting, there are fundamental flaws to both proposals.

Not the least of these is that the IRFU would need considerable financial assistance from Exchequer funding, along the lines of the €127 million which has either been granted, or promised, to the GAA were the union to redevelop Lansdowne Road to anything approaching its existing 46,000 capacity.

"There's got to be some sort of obligation on the state to make available funding to two international sports that generate these sort of attendances," said IRFU CEO Philip Browne yesterday, "and to make some sort of funding available to us.

"The reality is that international rugby and international soccer is going to be played in Lansdowne Road for the foreseeable future."

Browne was again less inclined to comment on the hypothetical Croke Park option, merely stating: "Obviously Sean McCague's statement is pretty clear and I respect that. I respect their position and they've done a fantastic job. Our position is making sure that we have security of tenure to fulfil our fixture obligations."

Allowing for the GAA's own feelings on the matter of their own ground, and even if they had a change of heart, there would still remain a host of stumbling blocks to that scenario. In addition to long-term security of tenure, there is the issue of floodlighting. With mid-winter games, and the ever-present possibility that television broadcasting deals would demand evening kick-offs, the IRFU would need to provide floodlighting.

Basically, as Browne concedes, the IRFU are back to square one, or where they were seven years ago. "We'll have to open up the old plans and the old costings, and update everything, and then look at what's available."

It will be a laborious process, complete with all manner of potential planning permission difficulties, but to begin with there's little doubt that the 21 members of the full IRFU Committee would prefer the option of redeveloping Lansdowne Road as opposed to building a new stadium in Newlands Cross.

"But that really depends on what we want to develop," Browne points out. "If we want to develop a 65,000-seated stadium, then there might be difficulties doing that at Lansdowne Road. If we want to develop something smaller, then maybe there isn't."

Collaborating with the FAI in some way is not something that Browne would rule out. "We have been partners for the best part of 20 years and we are natural partners."

The IRFU do have more assets than the FAI, most obviously the 90-acre site at Newlands Cross. But contrary to popular myth, they are not loaded with cash reserves and have to run a fairly tight ship. In his annual report last year, IRFU honorary secretary John Lyons revealed that they had suffered an operating loss the previous year and that their reserves amounted to a little over €8 million.