No go for motoring logo this time

The infamous car manufacturer's logo that had some players reaching for the makeup remover in Ireland's opening game against France and caused media traditionalists to empty their quills of venom, will not be a feature of the weekend's proceedings at Lansdowne Road for the Five Nations match between Ireland and England.

According to an IRFU spokesman the painted logo will not appear at the goal of the Lansdowne Road end of the ground simply because it was a once-off deal between the IRFU and the car manufacturer Nissan - reputedly worth £25,000.

The IRFU yesterday refuted the suggestion that the logo was removed because of the outcry after the game during which players from both teams became covered in the paint which had not sufficiently dried on the pitch because of consistent rain.

As a result some members of both sides became covered in a clownish blend of blue, red, yellow, green and white smears, prompting a number of commentators to argue that it was undignified and deeply insulting to the players involved.

The mid-pitch Lloyds TSB Bank emblem, however, will still adorn the famous old ground, hammering home the point that those who pay the money call the shots. The Lloyds logo also came in for criticism in the game against France when Irish hooker Keith Wood, particularly, attempted, in vain, to wipe off the blue paint from his head during the match.

"The Nissan logo was a once-off. That's it. The fact that it's not there for the England game is not a reaction to the comments after the France game," said an IRFU spokesman.

Lloyds are major title sponsors of the Five Nations competition, earning them the right to have their emblem on the pitch for all games. The Nissan deal was strictly between the IRFU and the car company.

The match against France was the first time sponsors' logos had been painted into the grass of the playing area as opposed to around the perimeter in-goal area. The reason the paint came off on the players during the game was because painting did not start until late on the Friday before the Saturday game. That coupled with heavy overnight rain ensured the paint was still wet when the game started.

In quite an ironic twist the Nissan logo was still visible on the Lansdowne surface for the subsequent midweek international soccer match involving the Republic of Ireland, who are sponsored by Opel, and Paraguay.