Ireland’s team of bankers,students and teachers didn’t win the Five Nations for a generation, but success wasn’t everything for the young fans at Lansdowne RoadBy Jonathan Drennan for Behind the Lines, or part of the Guardian Sport NetworkWhen you are a child,there are a few places that remain special for the rest of your life. For me, it was a ramshackle stadium in Dublin over a hundred miles from the house I grew up in. The journey to bag to the old Lansdowne Road on those glorious Saturdays for a Five Nations game with my Dad was scarce and cherished.
It started with a concerted campaign for my Dad to bag tickets for an upcoming rugby international to watch Ireland in the celebrated old ground in Dublin 4. By international standards, and even in the 1990s,the ground was small and shabby. This reflected the Irish rugby team I grew up watching.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com