By Cathal Dervan

It is the subject that won’t go away, even as rugby players and fans alike prepare to cross the Irish Sea and journey to Cardiff for Sunday’s Six Nations opener against Wales at the Millennium Stadium.

Eddie O’Sullivan’s Ireland team are red hot favorites everywhere you go right now, and not just to beat the Welsh and avenge the end of their Triple Crown dream as the Dragons sealed a Grand Slam two years ago.

The bookies, the pundits and the punters all feel that Ireland will do more than just win the Triple Crown and the championship. There is also supreme confidence around the place that this Irish team will lift a first Grand Slam since 1948 when they play Italy in Rome on St. Patrick’s weekend.

But that’s not the story that won’t leave the Irish rugby players alone, nor is this a story that is confined to their ranks as international sport prepares to return with a vengeance over the next week or so.

On Wednesday of last week, at the Six Nations launch in London, even the French reporters wanted in on the act. At Eddie O’Sullivan’s Tuesday morning press conference to announce his Irish team to play Wales the subject came up more than once.

And then, at a Dublin Airport get together later that afternoon, the topic came up again when the Sunday journalists present quizzed Stephen Staunton about the hot issue –- the Croke Park issue.

On Saturday night the lights will go on at Croker for the first time when Dublin play Tyrone in the opening game of the Allianz National League for 2007.

The following Sunday Ireland will host the French in the first ever rugby international to be played in the stadium that is the finest in the land. A week later the rugby players of England will precede the March visit of the soccer stars of Wales and Slovakia to headquarters.

And everywhere our top rugby and soccer players and coaches go these days someone wants to know about the Croke Park factor.

It is going to be historic and huge and thankfully, at long last, it is only around the corner.

“There was an air of anticipation among the players as we entered the ground in our team bus ahead of the first training session at Croke Park last week,” explained Ronan O’Gara this week. “It was everything we expected it to be.”

Munster teammate Paul O’Connell went further. “I have been lucky enough to play in some of the biggest and the best rugby grounds in the world, but what the GAA have at Croke Park surpasses them all,” exclaimed O’Connell on Tuesday.

It was Brian O’Driscoll, speaking in a London sports club days earlier, who summed it up best. “It is very exciting, I think all the players realize how much history and tradition surrounds Croke Park,” he said in response to another French question about the GAA headquarters.

“Within the squad there is definitely an element of feeling that we don’t want to let the GAA down for allowing us to play in their stadium, I hope that that is going to account for something when we get to play there.”

If their interest in the stadium and their enthusiasm for it is anything to go by, then there is no danger that the Irish rugby team will let anyone know when they make their Croke Park bow on Sunday, February 4.

The soccer team, to listen to Stephen Staunton’s passionate words on the subject, won’t be found wanting either.

We are on the verge of history here in Ireland right now. Let’s hope we all get to enjoy it.