Lansdowne Road: Old-School Grit Meets Modern Marvel
Ireland’s Lansdowne Road, now replaced by the state-of-the-art Aviva Stadium, was another standout for McCaw. The flanker cherishes the memories of playing at both the old Lansdowne Road and its ultra-modern successor.
“There’s no doubt the current Aviva is an amazing place to play, but to have played at the old Lansdowne Road a couple of times… I was pretty lucky to get to play at both,” McCaw said, reflecting on the ground’s evolution.
The old Lansdowne Road was a stadium with character, grit, and history, where the noise from the crowd felt like it was pressing down on you from the rickety stands. Built in 1872, it was the oldest rugby stadium in the world before being replaced by the Aviva.
While the Aviva boasts a sleek, modern design with its eye-catching curved roof, McCaw still holds a soft spot for the original, especially with its unique location—straddling a train line. When Lansdowne was redeveloped, trains had to be factored into the design, making it a quirky feature of a world-class stadium.
Croke Park: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
One of the most special memories for McCaw didn’t happen in a traditional rugby stadium. During the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road, Ireland’s rugby team moved temporarily to Croke Park, traditionally a GAA stadium, home to hurling and Gaelic football.
The view from Roinn B2, on the Hill Terrace, for the 2004 All-Ireland Football Final.
“I’ll tell you what – the one great experience we had when it was being rebuilt was to play at Croke Park. I understand the history of Croke Park and that was pretty cool,” McCaw shared.
Croke Park, with its 82,000 capacity, is not just a sporting arena but a national symbol in Ireland. The site of the 1920 Bloody Sunday massacre, the stadium is deeply entwined with the country’s turbulent history. For many, playing rugby in a GAA fortress was a symbolic moment of unity between different Irish sports and communities.