By Cathal Dervan

Croke Park will host soccer and rugby internationals in just over a year’s time after an historic vote by the GAA’s Central Council to change the face of Irish sport forever.

The controlling body of the GAA agreed last Saturday to a request from the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to rent Croke Park while Lansdowne Road is closed for redevelopment.

The new agreement, subject to terms and conditions, will kick-off in 2007 when the England and France rugby teams are due at Croke Park in the Six Nations.

And the FAI will also utilize the venue for their home qualifiers in the 2008 European Championships, the draw for which takes place next month.

Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll led the praise for the GAA’s groundbreaking decision.

“This is a great day for Irish sport and a decision to be welcomed by everyone involved with Irish sport,” the injured O’Driscoll told Star Sunday.

“I have always dreamed of playing at Croke Park and I am delighted that I could get the chance now. I never got the chance to play Gaelic football there and I have always wanted to play at Croke Park. Who wouldn’t?

“It is going to be a great venue for the Irish rugby team. Imagine the atmosphere when we play there against England and France in 2007. This is great news.”

Croke Park will be used for a maximum of three years as Lansdowne Road is redeveloped. Planning permission for the Lansdowne development will be lodged with Dublin City Council in January and the work is expected to commence before the end of 2006 subject to appeal.

GAA President Sean Kelly has also welcomed the Central Council decision to open Croke Park to non-national sports in 2007.

“I am pleased council had taken a positive decision on the IRFU and FAI’s applications consistent with the spirit of the decision taken by Congress last April,” Kelly said.

“It is now a matter for the sporting bodies to apply themselves to reaching a mutually acceptable accommodation on arrangements and terms.”

A statement from the FAI said, “The Football Association of Ireland welcomes the decision of the Central Council of the GAA in relation to the use of Croke Park during the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road.

“The FAI looks forward to working with the GAA in relation to the playing of soccer internationals at Croke Park during that redevelopment.”

The IRFU have also welcomed the Central Council’s decision. A statement read, “The IRFU welcomes the decision reached by the Central Council and looks forward to engaging in formal discussions for the use of Croke Park for rugby internationals during the unavailability of Lansdowne Road.”

Harte Is Tops

Tyrone’s famous All-Ireland football win last September received further recognition last week when Mickey Harte was named the Philips Sports Manager of the Year.

Harte guided Tyrone to a second Sam Maguire in three years in 2005 and joins an impressive list of previous winners including Mick McCarthy, Brian Cody and Eddie O’Sullivan.

After picking up the award at a top Dublin hotel, Harte said, “The nature of the way we won this year, the long course of the season and the way we came back after 2003 and the setbacks of 2004 means people are maybe beginning to recognize that we weren’t a one-hit wonder.

“There is a lot of substance in our team — across the board in sport, it is recognized that what Tyrone achieved is very noteworthy.”

Still savouring last September’s success, Harte now wants to win back to back All-Irelands for the first time but admitted, “If we go out with the same mentality as we did last season we won’t win anything.

“We have to go out and experiment and see what we can do because there is no perfect formula. Nobody has done it for 15 years and it’s a challenge to relish.”

Harte has also called for a Gaelic football world series to replace the controversial Compromise Rules series against the Australians.

“It is true that there isn’t sufficient opposition in other countries,” he said at the Ulster Vocational Schools launch in Belfast. “We have to start to begin to build up the quality of players, and even if it means starting at club level and having a World Cup series, intermediate or senior.

“I’d like to see Gaelic players playing Gaelic games internationally, and while we continue this exercise (International Rules) we are not likely to see that. We are putting off the day that Gaelic games goes truly international.

“This sport is good enough to be international, and we have to start making it that, but it won’t happen the way it is going at the moment.”

Leinster’s Form

Coach Michael Cheika has told his Leinster players to repeat their RDS form on French soil this Saturday when they face Bourgoin once again in the Heineken Cup.

Leinster travel to France just a week after their emphatic 53-7 win over a lackluster Bourgoin in Dublin but Cheika insisted, “The challenge for us now is to play as well away from home next Saturday as we have played today.

“That was as good as Leinster have played in my time here, in fact it was the best game yet but the thing I am looking for in this team is consistency. We were more focussed tonight and it shows that when you do concentrate you can play well. We still have more improvement in us and this is a step forward in where we want to go as a team.

“It is not just about winning one game at a time. I want the players to be more consistent week in and week in, even the internationals, and they are doing that at the moment.

“It is never easy to play teams back to back and the game next Saturday is already on our minds,” added Cheika. “It is a very important match for us. I have played in France and know how the French perform at home but it is not really about them.

“It is about us and what we have to do is be the same team away that we are at home. That could give us a big chance to win the game.”

Young winger Rob Kearney led the way with two tries in a seven try wonder show from Leinster. “Rob is going all right!” added Cheika.

“He still has a bit of a magnet to go into the midfield where the big blokes are that we don’t want him to run at but he is going well. Rob is putting pressure on, he is enjoying his attacking role and I think he is getting better every week.”

Aussie Violence

The Croke Park power brokers have warned the Aussies that any more violence on the pitch will bring about an end to the annual Compromise Rules series after this year’s disgraceful scenes in Melbourne.

Several motions to scrap the series were debated at Saturday’s Central Council meeting but the matter has now been put on the long finger by the authorities.

A statement issued after the Council meeting said, “It was agreed that these incidents (in the 2005 series) were unacceptable and if there was a repeat, the series would have to be discontinued.

“It was decided, however, to defer a decision on the current motions until after county conventions where the issue will be discussed in most counties.”

Munster’s Win

Munster took a huge step towards the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup with an emphatic 24-8 win over the Newport Gwent Dragons in Wales on Saturday but they failed to land a bonus point.

“We’re not disappointed, we didn’t come here for the bonus point we came to win, sometimes you play into opposition hands by playing loose,” said coach Declan Kidney.

“The Dragons showed in the last few minutes that you couldn’t give them space and it was out of respect for them that we played as we did. They will have some players back at Thomond Park on Saturday and they’ll have learned from this. They’ll be stronger when they come over to play us in the return.”

Meanwhile, Ulster stretched their unbeaten run in Europe to 14 games with a gutsy 19-10 win over a fancied Saracens side at Ravenhill on Friday night.

The result delighted coach Mark McCall who said, “It was always going to be close. We were delighted to be just 7-3 down at half time. In the second half we certainly stepped up our performance and we are delighted to have won and know we can certainly play a lot better than that. It’s a huge game for us next week.

“I thought we stepped up our game in all departments in the second half and we played very effectively and kept our composure.”

Cody’s Squad

Kilkenny boss Brian Cody has omitted seven players from his 2005 squad for the forthcoming NHL campaign including John Hoyne, Conor Phelan, Mark Phelan, John Maher and Ken Coogan, who all featured in the All-Ireland semifinal defeat against Galway last September.

Veterans D.J. Carey and Peter Barry have been given leave of absence for the winter.

Into the squad come Donnacha Cody, Austin Murphy, John Dalton, P.J. Delaney, Michael Fennelly, Eoin Reid and Noel Hickey.

GAA Shorts

All-star defender Cathal Daly has quit the Offaly senior football squad while manager Kevin Kilmurray has axed James Coughlan because he played soccer instead of attending a team training session last month. Jimmy Grennan, John Kenny and Roy Malone have also retired . . .

OFFALY hurling selector Joachim Kelly is to appeal a six-month ban handed down by the Westmeath County Board after an incident in their senior hurling final when the then Lough Lene Gaels coach was involved in an altercation with linesman Barry Kelly . . .

CORK star John Gardiner and Kerry’s Colm Cooper have been named as hurler and footballer of the year respectively at the annual Munster Council awards. Nemo Rangers, newly crowned as Munster club champions, won the team of the year title . . .

OUTGOING GAA president Sean Kelly has backed calls to increase the value of a goal from three to four points. “I see nothing wrong with having a goal worth four points, it’s a pity it wasn’t raised at Congress last year,” Kelly told Star Sunday . . .

GALWAY hurling boss Conor Hayes looks likely to recall Eugene Cloonan and introduce teenager Joe Canning when he names his squad for the 2006 NHL campaign . . .

GREGORY O’Kane has confirmed his decision to quit the Antrim hurling panel despite a plea to return from new boss Jim McKernan . . .

LEGENDARY Clare full-back Brian Lohan has denied stories that he is about to follow Brian Quinn and David Forde into retirement . . .

THE GAA have confirmed that a record 1.3 million fans attended championship matches at Croke Park in 2005.