We're edging closer to having another stadium fit to host international rugby games in Cork.
After Italy, Argentina and USA dropping out, three countries remain in the running to host the Rugby World Cup in seven years time. It's now a three horse race between South Africa, France and. of course, Ireland, but our little island needs suitable stadia in order to have a successful bid.
Ireland needs a dozen stadia to be fit to host the tournament with one of these required to have a minimum capacity of 60,000 for the semi-finals and final.
One key part to this plan coming together is the €78 million redevelopment of Cork GAA's Pairc Ui Chaoimh. The stadium is being converted into a modern 45,000-seater which will create new jobs and boost the local economy and, crucially, it was also set to play a big role in the 2023 Rugby World Cup bid.
A few images of the redevelopment have been doing the rounds on social media and it looks like it's beginning to take shape.
https://twitter.com/jpemul06/status/790568122659041280
https://twitter.com/stephenmccor/status/793893278026440704?lang=en
https://twitter.com/Kevyhayes/status/793810929293074434?lang=en
At the time of writing, stadiums previously used for rugby matches in Ireland include Croke Park, Dublin (82,300) Aviva Stadium, Dublin (51,700) Thomond Park, Limerick (25,630) RDS Arena, Dublin (18,500) and Ravenhill, Belfast (18,196).
There's also a plethora of GAA grounds that could potentially be used to host games including Semple Stadium, Tipperary (53,000) Gaelic Grounds, Limerick (49,886) MacHale Park, Mayo (42,000) Fitzgerald Stadium, Kerry (39,120) Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork (soon to be 45,000) and Pearse Stadium, Galway (29,167).
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