The legacy of the foot-and-mouth crisis, which decimated the sports programme earlier in the year, was revisited on the balance sheet at the IRFU's Annual General Meeting in the Berkeley Court Hotel yesterday. The cost to sport and rugby in this case was illustrated in the IRFU accounts with the union suffering a net deficit of £4,873,348 for the financial year ending on April 30th, 2001.

The previous year the IRFU accounts had shown a net surplus of £2,094,158. Honorary Treasurer John Lyons described the financial "horror of foot and mouth disease".

The loss of the home match against England - it will take place in the Autumn - was a significant factor in the deficit - the shortfall will not be realised. The IRFU's income, principally from representative matches was £17,083,927 while their expenditure taking in the costs of the international teams, rugby development, grants to provincial branches, clubs etc, ground costs and depreciation was fixed at £22,246,517. The net assets of the union are just a shade under £25 million.

Lyons pointed out that: "98 to 99 per cent of our total income is now generated internationally." The national team costs, including squad sessions, were £3,501,117, an increase of almost £500,000 on the previous year. One other pronounced increase to the union was the cost of insuring players which rose from £407,375 for the year ending April 30th, 2000 to Eddie Coleman has been succeeded as President by Ulster and Bangor's Roy Loughhead. Connacht's Don Crowley

IRFU Officers - President: R Loughhead. Senior vice president: D Crowley. Junior vice president: J Quilligan. Chief Executive: P Browne. Honorary Treasurer: J Lyons. Representatives to the international Board: N Murphy, S Millar. Elected to the union committee: P Boyle, S Waldron, B Keogh, P Whelan, D Crawford, D Glass.