Rugby league in Ireland
Encyclopedia
Rugby league
is a team
sport
played in Ireland
on an all-Ireland basis.
beat Warrington
32-19 in an exhibition match in Dublin. Twenty years later, in May 1954, Warrington were again defeated by Halifax
in both Belfast
(34-15) and Dublin (23-11).
Several Irish rugby union players have crossed the Irish Sea
to play in British
Championship, most notably Irish forwards Robin Thompson
, in the 1950s, and Ken Goodall
a decade later.
The first club side to actually play in Ireland, Dublin Blues, were not formed until 1989. They consisted mostly of rugby union
players who wanted to test themselves in the other code. The Blues competed against touring teams from Britain and surprised many of the touring sides with the quality of their play, scoring many memorable victories over British amateur
opposition.
In early 1995 the Rugby Football League development arm financed the position of a Development Officer for Ireland, providing a boost to the development of the game. This laid the basis for the formation of the national Ireland side, which played its first ever game on St Patrick's Day 1995, in Washington DC, defeating the USA
24-22.
Competitive matches were established between teams in Leinster
and Ulster
: Schoolboy matches were played between Dublin and Belfast
schools, Open Age Clubs competed against each other in the All-Ireland Challenge Cup. Teams included Belfast Wildcats and Bangor Vikings from Ulster
.
is Rugby League Ireland
(RLI), though the Rugby Football League
(whose remit covers the United Kingdom
, and therefore partially overlaps with the RLI) provide funding and support for the game in Ireland.
Current teams:
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Year
! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Winner
|-
|1997
|Dublin Blues
|-
|1998
|Northside Saints
|-
|1999
|Dublin Blues
|-
|2000
|Churchtown Warriors
|-
|2001
|Cork Bulls
|-
|2002
|Dublin City Exiles
|-
|2003
|Dublin City Exiles
|-
|2004
|Clontarf Bulls
|-
|2005
|Treaty City Titans
|-
|2006
|Treaty City Titans
|-
|2007
|Treaty City Titans
|-
|2008
|Carlow Crusaders
|-
|2009
|Treaty City Titans
|-
|2010
|Treaty City Titans
|-
|2011
|Treaty City Titans
|}>
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Year
! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Winner
|-
|2009
|Ballynahinch Rabbitohs
|-
|2010
|Ballynahinch Rabbitohs
|-
|2011
|Ballynahinch Rabbitohs
|}>
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Winner
! scope="col" | Runner-up
|-
|2010
|Munster
|Leinster
|-
|2011
|Leinster
|Ulster
|}>
where talented players would be identified to sign with Super League clubs, 4 were eventually signed to St Helens RLFC, Castleford Tigers
and Leeds Rhinos
respectively.
and League Weekly and two monthly magazines, Rugby League World
and Thirteen Magazine. Most of their content covers the sport in Britain, Australia and New Zealand but Irish rugby league is also covered. These publications are usually only available by subscription in Ireland.
A rugby union publication called Emerald Rugby covers rugby league in Ireland each month.
BBC Sport
own the rights to broadcast a highlights package called the Super League Show
which was first broadcast in Northern Ireland in 2008. Prior to this it had only been broadcast in the North of England.. Rugby League Raw
is not broadcast in Northern Ireland despite the BBC owning the rights to do so. The BBC covers the Rugby League Challenge Cup
from the rounds in which the top clubs enter.
BBC Radio Five Live
and BBC Five Live Sports Extra
carry commentary from a selection of Super League matches each week,.
Sky
has the rights to show live Super League games; one or two live matches are broadcast often fronted by Mike Stephenson
and Eddie Hemmings
. Sky also hold the rights to show the Rugby League Tri-Nations
live, whilst highlights are shown on BBC Sport. Australia's National Rugby League
and State of Origin were shown until 2005-06 season when Setanta Sports
outbid Sky for the rights.
Setanta Sports Ireland broadcasted highlights of the 2005 and 2006 pre-season Dublin challenge matches, and the 2005 European Nations Cup, on its Sports Weekly and Sports Monthly programmes.
Manchester based Channel M
show some National League and amateur rugby on their Code XIII programme.
and the NRL
, whilst the Irish Wolfhounds side is made up of players from the domestic Irish competition.
Until recently the Great Britain
team were known as 'Great Britain and Ireland' and Irish players were able to play for them. Brian Carney (rugby footballer) is a rare example of a player who played in the Irish league and then gained a professional contract with Super League club Wigan Warriors
, he went on to play for Great Britain and Ireland.
Ireland also has a strong students Wolfhounds team who competed in the 2008 Students world cup and finished 2nd in the student's 4 nations tournament in 2009.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
is a team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
played in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on an all-Ireland basis.
History
In May 1934 WiganWigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
beat Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
32-19 in an exhibition match in Dublin. Twenty years later, in May 1954, Warrington were again defeated by Halifax
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
in both Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
(34-15) and Dublin (23-11).
Several Irish rugby union players have crossed the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
to play in British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Championship, most notably Irish forwards Robin Thompson
Robin Thompson
Robin Thompson was a rugby union international for Ireland and a former British and Irish Lions captain.Robin Thompson won two Ulster Schools Senior Cup medals with RBAI and played for Ulster Schools...
, in the 1950s, and Ken Goodall
Ken Goodall
Kenneth George Goodall was a former Irish international rugby union and British and Irish Lions player and vice principal at Faughan Valley High School, which is now part of Lisneal College....
a decade later.
The first club side to actually play in Ireland, Dublin Blues, were not formed until 1989. They consisted mostly of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
players who wanted to test themselves in the other code. The Blues competed against touring teams from Britain and surprised many of the touring sides with the quality of their play, scoring many memorable victories over British amateur
British Amateur Rugby League Association
The British Amateur Rugby League Association is the governing body for social and recreational rugby league in the United Kingdom...
opposition.
In early 1995 the Rugby Football League development arm financed the position of a Development Officer for Ireland, providing a boost to the development of the game. This laid the basis for the formation of the national Ireland side, which played its first ever game on St Patrick's Day 1995, in Washington DC, defeating the USA
United States national rugby league team
-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...
24-22.
Competitive matches were established between teams in Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
and Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
: Schoolboy matches were played between Dublin and Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
schools, Open Age Clubs competed against each other in the All-Ireland Challenge Cup. Teams included Belfast Wildcats and Bangor Vikings from Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
.
Governing body and competitions
The governing bodySport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
is Rugby League Ireland
Rugby League Ireland
Rugby League Ireland is the internationally recognised governing body for the development of rugby league football in Ireland, having secured official recognition from the RLIF in 2000...
(RLI), though the Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
(whose remit covers the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and therefore partially overlaps with the RLI) provide funding and support for the game in Ireland.
Current teams:
Division 1
- Carlow CrusadersCarlow CrusadersThe Carlow Crusaders are a rugby league team based in Carlow, Ireland. They play in the Irish Elite League. They play home games at Oak Park, Carlow. The Crusaders are forced to play most of their games in Cill Dara RFC, Kildare as Oak Park is owned & used by Carlow RFC.-Famous players:* Ross...
- Dublin City ExilesDublin City ExilesThe Dublin City Exiles are an Irish rugby league team from Dublin, Ireland. The Exiles play in the Leinster Conference of the Irish Elite League. They play their home games at Lakelands Park in Terenure.- History :...
- North Dublin EaglesNorth Dublin EaglesNorth Dublin Eagles are an Irish rugby league team from Dublin, Ireland. The team is based in Raheny on Northside Dublin. The Eagles play their home games at ALSAA and train on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Paul's College, Raheny....
- Edenderry Boghogs
Munster League
- Cork BullsCork BullsThe Cork Bulls are an Irish rugby league team based in Cork, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League.The Cork Bulls were formed in 2010....
- Country Cowboys
- Treaty City TitansTreaty City TitansTreaty City Titans are an Irish semi-professional rugby league team based in Limerick City, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League...
- West Coast Warriors
Division 1
- Ballynahinch Rabbitohs
- East Belfast Bulldogs
- Fermanagh Redskins
- Strangford Sharks
Division 2
- Ballynahinch Rabbitohs 'A'
- DungannonDungannonDungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time...
- Mid-Ulster Mercenaries
- Portadown Pumas
Past All-Ireland Champions
! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Year
! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Winner
|-
|1997
|Dublin Blues
|-
|1998
|Northside Saints
|-
|1999
|Dublin Blues
|-
|2000
|Churchtown Warriors
|-
|2001
|Cork Bulls
Cork Bulls
The Cork Bulls are an Irish rugby league team based in Cork, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League.The Cork Bulls were formed in 2010....
|-
|2002
|Dublin City Exiles
Dublin City Exiles
The Dublin City Exiles are an Irish rugby league team from Dublin, Ireland. The Exiles play in the Leinster Conference of the Irish Elite League. They play their home games at Lakelands Park in Terenure.- History :...
|-
|2003
|Dublin City Exiles
Dublin City Exiles
The Dublin City Exiles are an Irish rugby league team from Dublin, Ireland. The Exiles play in the Leinster Conference of the Irish Elite League. They play their home games at Lakelands Park in Terenure.- History :...
|-
|2004
|Clontarf Bulls
|-
|2005
|Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans are an Irish semi-professional rugby league team based in Limerick City, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League...
|-
|2006
|Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans are an Irish semi-professional rugby league team based in Limerick City, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League...
|-
|2007
|Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans are an Irish semi-professional rugby league team based in Limerick City, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League...
|-
|2008
|Carlow Crusaders
Carlow Crusaders
The Carlow Crusaders are a rugby league team based in Carlow, Ireland. They play in the Irish Elite League. They play home games at Oak Park, Carlow. The Crusaders are forced to play most of their games in Cill Dara RFC, Kildare as Oak Park is owned & used by Carlow RFC.-Famous players:* Ross...
|-
|2009
|Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans are an Irish semi-professional rugby league team based in Limerick City, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League...
|-
|2010
|Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans are an Irish semi-professional rugby league team based in Limerick City, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League...
|-
|2011
|Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans
Treaty City Titans are an Irish semi-professional rugby league team based in Limerick City, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League...
|}>
Ulster/Northern Ireland champions
! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Year
! scope="col" style="background:#efefef;" | Winner
|-
|2009
|Ballynahinch Rabbitohs
|-
|2010
|Ballynahinch Rabbitohs
|-
|2011
|Ballynahinch Rabbitohs
|}>
Provincial League Champions
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Winner
! scope="col" | Runner-up
|-
|2010
|Munster
|Leinster
|-
|2011
|Leinster
|Ulster
|}>
Growth
In 2011 an academy was setup in LimerickLimerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
where talented players would be identified to sign with Super League clubs, 4 were eventually signed to St Helens RLFC, Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
and Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
respectively.
Media
There are two weekly rugby league newspapers in the UK Rugby Leaguer & League ExpressRugby Leaguer & League Express
Rugby Leaguer & League Express is a weekly newspaper published every Monday in the United Kingdom. Other rugby league titles published by League Publications Ltd include the monthly magazine 'Rugby League World' and the annual 'Gillette Rugby League Yearbook'.It features match reports and pictures...
and League Weekly and two monthly magazines, Rugby League World
Rugby League World
Rugby League World is a dedicated rugby league magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. Other rugby league titles published by League Publications Ltd include the weekly newspaper Rugby Leaguer & League Express and the annual Gillette Rugby League Yearbook.-History:Rugby League World began...
and Thirteen Magazine. Most of their content covers the sport in Britain, Australia and New Zealand but Irish rugby league is also covered. These publications are usually only available by subscription in Ireland.
A rugby union publication called Emerald Rugby covers rugby league in Ireland each month.
BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
own the rights to broadcast a highlights package called the Super League Show
Super League Show
The Super League Show is the BBC's rugby league highlights programme, usually shown on a Sunday afternoon on BBC One in the North of England and on the BBC website. It is fronted by Look North newsreader Harry Gration and Tanya Arnold with a variety of studio guests from Super League...
which was first broadcast in Northern Ireland in 2008. Prior to this it had only been broadcast in the North of England.. Rugby League Raw
Rugby League Raw
Rugby League Raw was a regional BBC Sport television programme featuring rugby league action and behind-the-scenes footage from the National Leagues play-offs....
is not broadcast in Northern Ireland despite the BBC owning the rights to do so. The BBC covers the Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
from the rounds in which the top clubs enter.
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
and BBC Five Live Sports Extra
BBC Five Live Sports Extra
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra is an additional digital radio service provided by the BBC via DAB Digital Radio and the digital satellite, digital terrestrial, IPTV and digital cable television services in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It is not available via analogue radio...
carry commentary from a selection of Super League matches each week,.
Sky
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
has the rights to show live Super League games; one or two live matches are broadcast often fronted by Mike Stephenson
Mike Stephenson
Michael "Mike" Stephenson, also commonly known as Stevo, is an English Rugby League World Cup winning Rugby League, and presenter/commentator on British satellite television channel Sky Sports who also represented Great Britain in the sport.Stevo, the nickname that he is commonly known as on TV...
and Eddie Hemmings
Eddie Hemmings (rugby league)
Eddie Leslie Bruce Hemmings presents Sky Sports rugby league coverage, and is also the channel's main commentator for the sport. Hailing from Warrington, Cheshire, England, Hemmings is usually partnered by the idiosyncratic co-commentator Mike Stephenson....
. Sky also hold the rights to show the Rugby League Tri-Nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
live, whilst highlights are shown on BBC Sport. Australia's National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and State of Origin were shown until 2005-06 season when Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
outbid Sky for the rights.
Setanta Sports Ireland broadcasted highlights of the 2005 and 2006 pre-season Dublin challenge matches, and the 2005 European Nations Cup, on its Sports Weekly and Sports Monthly programmes.
Manchester based Channel M
Channel m
Channel M is a regional television station, based in Manchester, England. It began broadcasting on 14 February 2000 as Manchester Student Television and is owned and operated by the Guardian Media Group.-Coverage:...
show some National League and amateur rugby on their Code XIII programme.
The national team
There are in fact two Ireland teams: the full Ireland side is dominated by players of Irish ancestry from the European Super LeagueSuper League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
and the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
, whilst the Irish Wolfhounds side is made up of players from the domestic Irish competition.
Until recently the Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
team were known as 'Great Britain and Ireland' and Irish players were able to play for them. Brian Carney (rugby footballer) is a rare example of a player who played in the Irish league and then gained a professional contract with Super League club Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, he went on to play for Great Britain and Ireland.
Ireland also has a strong students Wolfhounds team who competed in the 2008 Students world cup and finished 2nd in the student's 4 nations tournament in 2009.
See also
- Rugby League IrelandRugby League IrelandRugby League Ireland is the internationally recognised governing body for the development of rugby league football in Ireland, having secured official recognition from the RLIF in 2000...
- Ireland national rugby league teamIreland national rugby league teamThe Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...
- Great Britain national rugby league teamGreat Britain national rugby league teamThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....