This will create great demands on both organisations as the San Marino game will require bucket seats to be hastily installed and removed between the rugby dates, with the added fear of the pitch cutting up. Rulings insist that international matches must be all-seater, and Uefa have already given the FAI leeway in the past over bucket seats. However, should their usage prove impossible in such a short space of time, it could mean a serious reduction in capacity to 20,000.

However that would be the least likely solution and while the shortage of time between the dates will put immense pressure on the FAI to get the seats in and out quicker than ever before, it would seem a more practical route than accepting much less in gate receipts.

The problem has grown to such an extent that the FAI even attempted to switch the home and away dates with San Marino, with no success.