Tallaght's most famous footballing sons Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne may have failed to make it to South Africa, but what are the chances of the area's next World Cup star mastering an oval ball instead of a round one?

Tomorrow night, South Dublin County Council will welcome rugby into Tallaght Stadium for the first time when Heineken Cup and Grand Slam winner Mick O'Driscoll captains the Ireland 'A' side in their clash with Argentina Jaguars.

It won't capture the public's imagination like the visit of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, or even match the excitement of anchor tenants Shamrock Rovers' thrilling League of Ireland title challenge.

But what it does represent is another glacial step in the belated development of a rugby culture after so many years of frankly ignorant neglect by those charged with running Irish rugby.

But then Tallaght has been well used to others turning a blind eye to its potential.

As an experiment in social inclusion and developmental planning, those behind the concept of Tallaght in the 1970s really took their eye off the ball, unleashing a Pandora's Box of ills that still blight a suburb whose population dwarfs that of Limerick city.

neglect

As is often the case in deprived areas, with an absence of official bodies showing any sign of upping their game, sport filled the gap created by years of neglect and indifference.

The GAA led the way, from Thomas Davis, originally founded in 1887 when Tallaght was a mere country village, through St Anne's (1930s) and St Mark's, whose foundation accompanied the first appallingly devised wave of developments in the 1970s.

The GAA implanted a sense of social community; soccer offered a more glamorous escape, even though its famous son, Keane, migrated to Crumlin United before seeking fame and fortune via the World Cup. His international colleague Dunne hails from Killinarden, rarely the scene of positive news.

Ironically, while the Celtic Tiger belatedly forged the way for pivotal developments in Tallaght -- hospitals, third-level colleges, cultural institutions -- sport struggled to cope as volunteerism dramatically shrunk.

And that's where rugby union weaved itself into the history of this often troubled area. The Tallaght Project, a partnership between the Irish Sports Council and the IRFU, planted the seeds at the beginning of the century.

Of the region's then 63 primary schools, the IRFU's development officers on the ground -- spearheaded by Gearoid Ferrick -- initially managed to inculcate themselves into 11 of them, reaching over 8,000 kids.

That was 8,000 kids more than had heard of rugby before the evangelists arrived in an arid desert where there was no fee-paying schools -- traditionally Dublin rugby's heartland -- and where less than 10pc went to university.

Over 65pc of secondary students went to schools outside the Tallaght area and a trend soon developed whereby the small number of kids who did catch the rugby bug were targeted by the establishment clubs such as St Mary's and Terenure.

Tallaght couldn't possibly beat the established trend. So they decided to join it. In 2002, Tallaght RFC was formed in an attempt to stem this flow. Four years later, they sent out their first senior team to ignominious defeat.

"We knew that the Tallaght Project wasn't going to last forever and we needed some effort on the ground in order to continue that progress," explains Gregg Behan, current president of Tallaght RFC.

"Sure we had enough players who wanted to form teams which we did from U-16s onwards. But even though we had kids who were becoming interested in rugby, they had nowhere to go. So we were essentially turning into a feeder club for the established clubs."

The club's development was predicated upon community spirit -- Kiltipper's Postal Club offered them a sporting lease which would have been, and remains, beyond their financial means -- rather than sporting achievement.

"We were roundly beaten in every game. It was difficult for some people to take us seriously at the time," admits Behan. That he is referring to just a couple of years ago demonstrates the perennial difficulty for rugby as it attempts to develop beyond its traditional geographical base.

"They were wondering how long we'd last more than anything else. But the population was huge and there were a large number of guys who came to us saying that they would have played rugby except there wasn't an outlet.

"I've always said I don't care what their background is, we'll take them. We've even taken in a load of Munster men. I think there's an element of Munster rugby in Tallaght. It's more open to people to join.

"We wanted to establish a rugby culture. Not many people knew that there used to be a club in Tallaght years ago. I remember as a kid seeing the sign up there near Bancroft. So there was a little history to it."

Earlier this month, they lost narrowly to Blackrock. "In the old days, that would have been an exhibition match with them. In fairness, the established clubs have been very hospitable saying they need us to be successful."

Brian Curtis and Ken Kinsella, who had been organising the mini-rugby section in conjunction with the IRFU project, decided they'd be better off if they just set up a club and see what happened.

"I just said let's do it," recalls Behan. "But only if we can get the numbers." Last Tuesday, on a filthy evening, more than 30 players turned up for training. Attendance wasn't always so enthusiastic.

"At the start of it, we turned up for matches with 11 people, struggled to get a kit together. We got a few more numbers and then we got a coach, Thomas Fereira, a South African I knew.

"We at least had a structure and it's snowballed since. We have two senior teams, an U-19 team and mini-rugby on a Saturday. We have a guy from the IRFU who still goes around the schools.

"The parents tell me they like the fact that the teams clap each other off," says Behan. "They love the discipline of it, the camaraderie. And it gets them off the streets, which is vital."

That is the least of this new generation's ambitions. Scrum-half Kris Greene, a former Ireland 'A' international, is the club's most notable alumnus.

"He had the heart of a lion," enthuses Behan. In this concrete jungle, any green shoots are worth clinging to.

see factfile for details

- David Kelly

Irish Independent