There is little prospect Croke Park being available for Heineken European Cup rugby matches despite the expected unavailability of Lansdowne Road over the next number of years.

The issue comes into focus with the qualification of Munster and Leinster for this year's quarter-finals.

Although Munster's decision to play the upcoming tie with Perpignan at IRFU headquarters was optional, any home semi-final draw would have to be played at Lansdowne Road - a venue in the team's country that isn't its home ground.

Should the same situation apply next year there will be no Lansdowne Road to function as a venue for such favourable draws. Croke Park will host Ireland's Six Nations fixtures against France and England but although the motion passed by congress last April didn't stipulate what matches could be played last month's GAA Central Council meeting tightened the parameters.

"The Central Council decision was clear," according to GAA PRO Danny Lynch. "Croke Park would be made available for competitive, senior internationals, as requested by the respective international boards. That was the spirit of the approaches from the IRFU and FAI.

"Provincial matches don't and didn't come into it and this sort of speculation will be interpreted as a provocative exercise. In all the talks and discussions it never arose or came into consideration nor will it."

Lynch went on to criticise what he sees as a tendency to take for granted the GAA's accommodation in the aftermath of last week's conclusion of the deal to allow rugby and soccer internationals be played in Croke Park.

"I think that instead of accepting what the GAA has done there are definite efforts being made to create new quandaries for the association. In fairness to the IRFU they have never mentioned this in any of their communications."

Ireland will have a number of warm-up matches in advance of next season's rugby World Cup but the home fixtures against Italy and South Africa will have to be played elsewhere, presumably in Limerick's Thomond Park, which is the second biggest Irish rugby venue, even though its capacity is only 13,200.

Anyway as the matches will be played in August, finding space in the Croke Park schedules would be very difficult.

The RDS hosts Leinster's matches and holds around 14,000 but is very much a temporary accommodation and also stages the Dublin Horse Show during that month.