The new Lansdowne Road, now called the Aviva Stadium, was officially launched recently with the first rugby game there since 2006. A Leinster/Ulster team beat the Connacht/Munster side 68-0. This clip tells you more about the historic grounds reconstruction, as well as shows a few highlights from the one sided game.
The stadium is built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road in Dublin at a cost of 400m and will seat 50 000 at capacity. It will be used for both rugby and football, with the first rugby international set to take place between Ireland and the Springboks on November 6th this year.
The first ever Test was played there in 1878, and while the pitch is the same, the stadium itself is a far cry from the old ground, despite the seating capacity being fairly average for an international stadium.
A little over 35 000 turned out to watch the first ever rugby game to be held in the spectacular new stadium, a match that featured under-20 players comprising the two mixed sides. Only 10 of the 44 players that were on show are contracted to provincial academies, so it was very much an occasion for the future of Irish rugby.
The Leinster/Ulster team were way too strong as they ran out convincing winners.
Time:
04:45
Note:
Thanks to Total Rugby
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