The Irish rugby public has shown massive interest in the first ever public consultation process on the future of Irish rugby with news that 7,066 copies, or a 1,000 copies a day, of the IRFU Strategic Planning Group's Consultative Document have been downloaded from the IRFU web-site (www.irishrugby.ie) in the first week following the launch of the process. A further 673 copies of the accompanying feedback form have also been downloaded.

Commenting on the strong demand for the document Mr John Hussey, Chairman of the IRFU Strategic Planning Group, said: "We are delighted with the response as it proves the level of interest people have in this vital process. A lot of the process has to do with making detailed and important information available to everyone and when you add these figures to the direct-mail shot that has gone directly to key stakeholders we can now be sure that there are already close to 10,000 copies of the Consultative Document in the public domain."

He added, "It also points to the strength of the IRFU web-site and the internet as a medium for facilitating debate on the game as a whole. I would urge everyone with an interest in the game not to get left behind and to make sure they get their hands on a copy either over the Internet or directly from the offices of the IRFU or the Provincial Branch offices."