End of an era Lansdowne Road: Gerry Thornley reflects on the many classic moments that have captured the public's attention and affection over the years

So, as even the dogs in the streets of D4 must by now know, today supposedly marks the last championship match at Lansdowne Road as we've come to know, love and hate it over the years, and, with a quirky suitability, it's exactly 128 years to the same date, March 11th, since the first Test was played there.

The temptation, of course, even for the canines amongst us would be to cock a leg to that theory, but even allowing for planning delays caused by residents or a co-tenant, the likelihood is that Ireland will be hosting France and England at Croke Park next season.

Whatever about the strict merits of spending at least €365 million to increase the capacity from 48,000 to 50,000, it's clear that a certain emotional attachment has coloured this economic decision.

Fergus Slattery won 31 of his 61 caps at Lansdowne Road, from his debut in an 8-8 draw with the Springboks in 1970 to a try-scoring farewell in a 25-15 win over England 13 years later, and though he won't be speaking for everyone, he maintains the ground holds more of an allure for spectators than players.

"The only thing I was ever focused on was who we were playing against. To me, playing in Lansdowne Road was the same as playing in Murrayfield or Twickenham. The only ground I noticed was the Arms Park because of the singing. The real attribute of Lansdowne Road is for the supporters, and the feel-good factor of having a stadium smack in the middle of the city. The Lansdowne roar? Sure the roar is just as loud in Thomond Park or Belfast."

Lately, it's been louder.

Yet even for the spectators, set beside the sparkling splendour of Croke Park, never mind the Millennium Stadium, Twickenham, Murrayfield or Stade de France, Lansdowne Road can't be demolished soon enough.

There will still be autumnal matches there, with Ireland due to host South Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands next November. But the Six Nations, as it is now, has been the ground's raison d'etre.

Seeking a return fixture to their first international against England at the Kensington Oval on February 18th 1875, later that year the IRFU first considered Trinity College and Phoenix Park, and when Henry Dunlop - then honorary secretary of the Irish Champion Athletic Club who also held a lease on Lansdowne Road from the Earl of Pembroke - offered the ground, it was rejected by the IRFU committee on the basis, ironically, that it was "quite inadequate for an international rugby match".

So instead Ireland's first home match was held at the Leinster Cricket Ground in Rathmines, with Trinity providing ropes, posts and flag-poles.

Dunlop's persistence, having seen a Leinster-Ulster interpro played at Lansdowne Road in December 1876, was rewarded with the Ireland-England game on March 11th, 1878. Dunlop was paid £5 as well as half of any profit over £50 after expenses. Ireland suffered their fifth defeat in five attempts, again without scoring, when losing by two goals and a try.

A noted athlete and president of Lansdowne FC, Dunlop's humble stadium was a multi-sports venue, with a cinder track for athletics, a cricket pitch and tennis courts, as well as a rugby pitch. The honorary treasurer of the IRFU, Henry Shepperd, had acquired the lease of the ground from Dunlop some years before he died in December, 1906. The following month, the IRFU paid the representatives of the late Shepperd £200 for his interest in the ground and agreed a new 50-year lease with Lord Pembroke for an annual rent of £50.

A Championship Day in Lansdowne Road - 1

February 10th, 1973 - IRELAND 18 ENGLAND 9

Scotland, and then Wales, having denied Ireland a tilt at the Grand Slam the year before, RFU president Dick Kingswell withstood pressure to follow suit but was unanimously backed by his union to fulfil the first fixture of the Five Nations. There have been few more emotional occasions in the grounds than the sight and sound of John Pullin leading the English team onto the pitch to a five minute, standing ovation. "By the time we came out, the crowd were worn out and they were polishing their nails. We were the better side . . . we just wanted to get amongst them," recounts Slattery.

Altering the ground's lay-out to a north-south alignment, the IRFU unveiled a new covered West stand and an uncovered stand to the left of it at a cost of £6,000 in time for the win over Scotland in February, 1908.

Scotland were again the visitors in 1927 when a new East stand was unveiled although not without completion of the proposed roof and sod's law decreed that the day was immortalised by a torrential downpour.

The current, two-tier West stand which straddles the railway track was built in 1955, while the East stand was built in time for the 1983/'84 season.

Ireland's first Triple Crown in 1894 was completed in Belfast, ditto the 1935 title, and likewise the sole 1948 Grand Slam, while the 1999 and 1949 Triple Crowns were sealed in Wales. Of course there were any number of memorable days to add to the mystique of the world's oldest Test ground, but by rights there should have been a couple more.

When Ireland had beaten France and England away in 1972, Scotland refused to travel to Dublin to fulfil their fixtures, citing the Troubles, and Wales followed suit.

"The games that I will miss the most are those against Scotland and Wales. We'd have waltzed through them," maintains Slattery. "I'm 100 per cent sure of that. We beat Scotland at home in 1970 and '74 and there's no reason to suppose we'd have blown it in '72. We'd won in Paris and Twickenham, and with everything at stake against Wales we'd have won the Triple Crown and Grand Slam. It was too good and too experienced an Irish side not to."

The French, to their eternal credit, granted Ireland a match at Lansdowne Road by travelling over in April, and the All Blacks happily fulfilled their tour matches against Ulster, in Belfast, as well as Leinster, Munster and Ireland the following season.

Despite some opposition, England travelled over in 1973 to an unforgettable five-minute standing ovation from everyone in the ground.

It wasn't until the '80s that Lansdowne Road was enriched by more tangible successes, notably the 21-12 Triple Crown clinching win over Scotland when Ollie Campbell kicked everything in sight, along with the Crown and Championship coup de grace over England in '85 and more recently the 2004 Triple Crown, completed with a 37-16 win over Scotland.

The atmosphere wasn't bad that day, although in truth the old ground has struggled to reverberate like it did in '82, especially, or '85.

"The crowd willed us to victory," recalls Ollie Campbell of the '82 triumph.

"It wasn't the greatest game played at Lansdowne Road but it certainly had one of the best atmospheres ever. We turned around 15-6 ahead at half-time and one of my memories is that the crowd on the old East Stand Upper was on its feet singing Molly Malone for virtually the whole of the second half."

In latter years, it's taken visits from Ulster and Munster to provide some badly-needed noise and colour. But a more traditional Saturday afternoon kick-off should liven the old place up today.

That, and a large dollop of nostalgia.

A Championship Day in Lansdowne Road - 2

February 20th, 1982 - IRELAND 21 SCOTLAND 12

Alive Alive-Oh . . . Forgettable match, unforgettable day. Dad's Army up front and Ollie Campbell's six penalties and a drop goal steered Ireland to a 21-12 win to complete the Triple Crown and championship. "We knew as a team we were going to win it," recalls Slattery matter-of-factly, "which for an Irish side is very rare, unless we were playing Outer Mongolia. You can't beat experience, and I played in two Dad's Armies."A Championship Day in Lansdowne Road - 3

March 30th, 1985 - IRELAND 13 ENGLAND 10

Almost as forgettable a match. A draw at home to France had been sandwiched by daring wins in Scotland and Wales. Kept in the game by Brendan Mullin's chargedown try, they drew level late on with a Michael Kiernan penalty. Cue Ciarán Fitzgerald's "where's your fucking pride?", Donal Lenihan's rumble, Kiernan's drop goal and his thumbs up to Keith Crossan. He had told the winger that he would land a winning drop goal.