YMCA members expect to hear later this week that their protracted battle to stay at Claremont Road has been lost, after the ground was put up for sale three years ago, and that the club that produced Ireland star Harry Tector will cease to exist.

A senior YMCA member said: “We’ve been hanging on by our fingernails, and now it’s the tips of our fingernails. So many great memories and 134 years of history. It’s very sad.”

YMCA are the reigning Leinster Premier League winners, winning their 8th title in their 135th year of existence, but they have already accepted the demise of their Women's and Youth sections. 

The senior Men's fate is set to be sealed in the coming days unless there is a dramatic late intervention.

Landsdowne RFC purchased Claremont Road last year, but intitial optimism that a ground share agreement could be reached has evaporated.