Rugby union in Ireland
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
is a popular team sport played in Ireland
. The sport is organised on an all-Ireland basis with one team
, governing body
and league
for both the Republic of Ireland
and Northern Ireland
. Ireland is the third-oldest rugby nation after England and Scotland respectively, and the game was organised there fractionally before in Wales.
(IRFU) is the governing body for rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU is divided into five branches. The four main branches represent the four provinces of Ireland: Ulster
, Munster
, Leinster
and Connacht
. Each provincial branch organises the sport within its geographic area. All four field senior teams that compete in the Celtic League
, and all except Connacht field "A" teams in the semi-professional British and Irish Cup
. The fifth branch is the Exiles
Branch, tasked with identifying and developing players living in England, Scotland and Wales who are qualified to represent Ireland through their ancestry.
Initially, there were two unions both founded in 1874 - the Irish Football Union had jurisdiction over clubs in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster; the Northern Football Union of Ireland controlled the Belfast area. The IRFU was formed in 1879 as an amalgamation of these two organisations and branches of the new IRFU were formed in Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The Connacht Branch was formed in 1886.
The IRFU was a founding member of the International Rugby Board
in 1886 with Scotland
and Wales
. (England refused to join until 1890).
, association football, and Gaelic football
were codified. The local varieties were often quite different from one another, and some bore more resemblance to certain modern codes than others:
Occasionally the ball in these games would resemble a rugby ball:
According to Jack Mahon, even in the Irish countryside, the traditional sport of caid
had begun to give way to a "rough-and-tumble game" which even allowed tripping.
was an early stronghold of rugby.
During the late 19th century, in response to the perceived encroachment of English sports, including rugby, Irish nationalist Michael Cusack
set up the Gaelic Athletic Association
(GAA). To this day, Rule 42
of the GAA's Official Guide prohibits the playing of non-Gaelic games
in GAA stadiums, including rugby. However, the rule was relaxed while Lansdowne Road
was being redeveloped, and rugby was played in Croke Park
including a match between Leinster and Munster that broke the club rugby attendance record; see List of non-Gaelic games played in Croke Park for exceptions to this rule.
The first game to take place under the relaxed Rule 42 took place on 11 February 2007. It was a Six Nations Championship
rugby match between Ireland
and France
which Ireland lost 17–20. The following match against England
generated some controversy, since it involved the playing of God Save the Queen
at a ground where British soldiers had killed fourteen spectators on Bloody Sunday, 1920
. There was a small protest by Republican Sinn Féin
outside the ground which included a man holding a sign saying No to foreign games while ironically wearing a Celtic FC tracksuit.
Although rugby has traditionally been associated with the more anglophile elements of Irish society, it has not been without its following in the nationalist and republican communities. For example, the longest serving taoiseach
, Éamon de Valera
was a former player, and lifetime fan of the game. At the age of sixteen, De Valera won a scholarship to Blackrock College
, County Dublin
. It was at Blackrock College
that de Valera began playing rugby. Later during his tenure at Rockwell College
, he joined the school's rugby team where he played fullback on the first team, which reached the final of the Munster Senior Cup. De Valera was a close friend of the Ryan brothers at Rockwell who played on Ireland's Triple Crown-winning team in 1899. De Valera remained a lifelong devotee of rugby, attending numerous international matches up to and towards the end of his life despite near blindness.
Other notable politicians, from very different backgrounds, who have played rugby for Ireland include Tyrone Howe
(a former Unionist Party
councillor), Trevor Ringland (a Unionist Parliamentary candidate) and Dick Spring
(an Irish Labour Party TD).
Nowadays, rugby is played by both nationalists
and unionists. Historically, it tended to be popular with different social groups in different parts of Ireland, although generally speaking it is regarded as a middle-class sport in Ireland and further afield. In Limerick City, it is enjoyed across the social spectrum game, while in Leinster
, Cork City and Connacht
it remains very much a middle-class game. In Northern Ireland
it is traditionally played in mainly-middle-class Protestant grammar schools. The changing climate in Northern Ireland
politics has altered this perceived tradition with the introduction of rugby into an increasing number of Roman Catholic grammar and secondary schools which were previously exclusively associated with Gaelic games
. It is true to say overall that currently the vast majority of players representing the professional teams of all of the provinces of Ireland
come from middle-class backgrounds.
The conversion of rugby from amateurism
to professionalism
led to the Irish Rugby Football Union
(IRFU) using the provincial
structure to create four professional teams, with the Irish players on these teams on central contracts to the IRFU, meaning that they, and not the provinces, control when the players play and when they rest. Professionalism has, on the whole, been very good for the top level of Irish rugby. The national team has won several triple crowns
and is able to play at a competitive level with the world's rugby giants, having beaten all but New Zealand
in the last five years.
Ireland's provinces
have also been successful in the professional era. Ulster
won the European Cup
in 1999, and for the last five years Munster
and Leinster
have regularly featured in the latter stages of the competition, culminating in Munster's wins in 2006
and 2008
and Leinster's in 2009
and 2011
. In the Celtic League
(currently sponsored as the RaboDirect Pro12), the provinces
are either regular winners or near the top of the league, especially Leinster, in the last 5 seasons Leinster have been featured in the top 3 teams in the Celtic League. In 2006, the big three Irish provinces finished in the top three places of the league, Ulster
claiming the title with a dramatic last second drop goal ensuring they finished above Leinster
. Each of the big three has won the league at least once—Leinster won the league's inaugural title in 2002
and again in 2008, Ulster won it for the first and only time in 2006, and Munster won in 2003
, 2009 and 2011.
The level below the provinces, the clubs
, has probably suffered somewhat in the professional era. Top players play almost exclusively for their provinces with only rare outings for clubs, usually as a result of returning from injury or loss of form. Changes are underway in the club structure to try and make it more attractive, whilst maintaining club ethos.
The game was played in Croke Park on 2 May 2009, when Leinster
defeated Munster
25–6. The attendance of 82,208 set a new world record attendance for a club rugby union game.
, although they did not play in the 2010 edition
.
Irish provinces compete in the RaboDirect Pro12
(originally the Celtic League before gaining sponsorship first from Magners and now Rabobank
's RaboDirect subsidiary) against Welsh regions, Scotland super-districts, and from 2010–11 Italian franchises. Currently, Leinster, Munster and Ulster also compete in the Heineken Cup
. Connacht normally compete in the European Challenge Cup
, but will make their Heineken Cup debut in 2011–12
by virtue of Leinster's 2011 Heineken Cup win.
Competitions have taken place since the late 19th century with the modern day Inter Provincial Championship between Munster
, Leinster
, Ulster
and Connacht
first contested in 1920, with the oldest interprovincial match held between Leinster and Ulster.
Another focus for the domestic game in Ireland is the All Ireland League
. This was started in 1990 and has now expanded to three divisions.
Irish provincial "A" teams from Leinster, Munster and Ulster take part in the British and Irish Cup
competition which started in 2009-10, which also includes three Scottish developmental sides, six clubs from the Welsh Premier Division
, and all 12 clubs from England's RFU Championship
.
The IRFU Annual Report for season 2006-2007 reported playing figures within Ireland as follows:
Secondary schools
are the heart of rugby union
in Ireland
. Notable rugby union schools include Crescent College
, Christian Brothers College, Cork
, Presentation Brothers College, Cork
, St. Conleth's College, Rockwell College
, St. Munchin's College
Clongowes Wood College
, Belvedere College
, Blackrock College
, Mount Temple, St. Michael's College, St Mary's College Rathmines, Terenure College, The High School, Castleknock College
, Garbally College
, Colaiste Iognaid Galway, Marist College, Athlone
, Sligo Grammar School, Campbell College
, Royal Belfast Academical Institution
(Inst), Ballymena Academy
, The Royal School, Armagh
and Methodist College Belfast
. Inst and Methody have historically been the most successful schools in the Ulster Schools Cup
.
and Heineken Cup
have seen rugby union
become a major spectator sport
in Ireland. European Cup
games are generally well supported in all the provinces, with sellouts the norm and massive crowds in Dublin's Lansdowne Road
for quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Ulster, Munster and Leinster have all won the Heineken Cup. In the past Ulster
led the Celtic League attendances for 3 years in the row and Connacht
, Munster
and Leinster
's crowds have grown year on year and with the later two setting new world records for province/club attendance.
Munster extensively renovated and expanded their traditional home of Thomond Park
in a project that was completed in 2008. Royal Dublin Society
expanded their RDS Arena
in the same time period, which prompted Leinster to make it their primary home whilst they were planning to expand their own traditional ground at Donnybrook. After the Donnybrook plans fell through, Leinster chose to remain at the RDS. Connacht and Ulster are planning similar ground upgrades to increase capacity and comfort, as well as Munster at their secondary home of Musgrave Park
.
Before the opening of Aviva Stadium, Ireland international
games sold out against all but the weakest opposition, and with the team playing at Croke Park
during the reconstruction of Lansdowne Road, attendances regularly topped 80,000. However, the Aviva saw disappointing attendance during its first Tests in 2010, with no match selling out; media reports indicated that this was largely due to an IRFU ticketing strategy that made little sense in an uncertain economy
. More recent Tests have seen crowds much closer to capacity, including sellouts for both of Ireland's 2011 Six Nations
home fixtures.
to be in the first tier
.
Ireland contest the Millennium Trophy
with England as part of the Six Nations Championship
.
Every four years the British and Irish Lions
go on tour with players from Ireland
as well as England
, Scotland
and Wales
.
As with all top-tier rugby nations, and many lower-tier countries, Ireland also field an "A" national side, a second-level national selection primarily intended to develop younger talent for possible future duty on the senior national team. Since February 2010, the IRFU have rebranded the A side as Ireland Wolfhounds. The Wolfhounds generally play "A" teams of the other major European powers and senior sides of lower-tier nations.
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...
is a popular team sport 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...
. The sport is organised on an all-Ireland basis with one team
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, governing body
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
and league
AIB League
The Ulster Bank All-Ireland League is the national league system for the 48 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is not, however, the highest level of rugby union in Ireland, as teams representing the four provinces of Ireland play...
for both the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Ireland is the third-oldest rugby nation after England and Scotland respectively, and the game was organised there fractionally before in Wales.
Governing body
The Irish Rugby Football UnionIrish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
(IRFU) is the governing body for rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU is divided into five branches. The four main branches represent the four provinces of Ireland: Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
, Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
, Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
and Connacht
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...
. Each provincial branch organises the sport within its geographic area. All four field senior teams that compete in the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
, and all except Connacht field "A" teams in the semi-professional British and Irish Cup
British and Irish Cup
The British and Irish Cup is a semi-professional northern hemisphere rugby union competition. It took place for the first time in the 2009/10 season...
. The fifth branch is the Exiles
Irish diaspora
thumb|Night Train with Reaper by London Irish artist [[Brian Whelan]] from the book Myth of Return, 2007The Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa,...
Branch, tasked with identifying and developing players living in England, Scotland and Wales who are qualified to represent Ireland through their ancestry.
Initially, there were two unions both founded in 1874 - the Irish Football Union had jurisdiction over clubs in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster; the Northern Football Union of Ireland controlled the Belfast area. The IRFU was formed in 1879 as an amalgamation of these two organisations and branches of the new IRFU were formed in Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The Connacht Branch was formed in 1886.
The IRFU was a founding member of the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
in 1886 with Scotland
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
and Wales
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
. (England refused to join until 1890).
Prehistory
Ireland had a strong tradition of folk football games long before the various forms of modern football such as rugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, association football, and Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
were codified. The local varieties were often quite different from one another, and some bore more resemblance to certain modern codes than others:
- "Other texts suggest that Co.s MeathCounty MeathCounty Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, LouthCounty LouthCounty Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
and north Dublin were football strongholds during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The poem Iomáin Léana an Bhábhdhúin by Réamann Ó Murchada describes an eight-a-side football game in OmeathOmeathOmeath is a village on the R173 regional road in County Louth, Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. It is roughly mid way between Dublin and Belfast, very near the County Louth and County Armagh / County Down border. Omeath has a population of 439, and is approximately from...
in 1750, which lasted from midday to sunset.
- "Different versions of football were played in various parts of the country. Games were played between parishes or between Baronies and would sometimes last for hours. However there was no organised form fo the game, and little interaction between the various regions. The rules also varied according to region, some games being more disciplined than others. The number of players varied from place to place, though the basic principle of moving the ball from one end of the field to the other remained the same."
Occasionally the ball in these games would resemble a rugby ball:
- "The ball was generally round, but that depended on the materials used, sometimes it was oval, but by accident, rather than design."
According to Jack Mahon, even in the Irish countryside, the traditional sport of caid
Caid (sport)
Caid is the name given to various ancient and traditional Irish football games. "Caid" is now used by people in some parts of Ireland to refer to modern Gaelic football.The word caid originally referred to the ball which was used...
had begun to give way to a "rough-and-tumble game" which even allowed tripping.
Late 19th century
During the 1860s, 1870s and 1880s, rugby, along with association football, started to become popular in Ireland. Trinity College, DublinTrinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
was an early stronghold of rugby.
Rugby and the GAA
Michael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
set up the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
(GAA). To this day, Rule 42
Rule 42
Rule 42 is a rule of the Gaelic Athletic Association which in practice prohibits the playing of non-Gaelic games in GAA stadiums. The rule is often mistakenly believed to prohibit foreign sports at GAA owned stadiums...
of the GAA's Official Guide prohibits the playing of non-Gaelic games
Gaelic games
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...
in GAA stadiums, including rugby. However, the rule was relaxed while Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
was being redeveloped, and rugby was played in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
including a match between Leinster and Munster that broke the club rugby attendance record; see List of non-Gaelic games played in Croke Park for exceptions to this rule.
The first game to take place under the relaxed Rule 42 took place on 11 February 2007. It was a Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
rugby match between Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
and France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
which Ireland lost 17–20. The following match against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
generated some controversy, since it involved the playing of God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
at a ground where British soldiers had killed fourteen spectators on Bloody Sunday, 1920
Bloody Sunday (1920)
Bloody Sunday was a day of violence in Dublin on 21 November 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. In total, 31 people were killed – fourteen British, fourteen Irish civilians and three republican prisoners....
. There was a small protest by Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin or RSF is an unregisteredAlthough an active movement, RSF is not registered as a political party in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. minor political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin...
outside the ground which included a man holding a sign saying No to foreign games while ironically wearing a Celtic FC tracksuit.
20th century
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
was a former player, and lifetime fan of the game. At the age of sixteen, De Valera won a scholarship to Blackrock College
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. It was at Blackrock College
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
that de Valera began playing rugby. Later during his tenure at Rockwell College
Rockwell College
Rockwell College, founded in 1864, is a private Catholic secondary school near Cashel, South Tipperary in Ireland. It offers day as well as full boarding. Rockwell is run by the Holy Ghost Fathers.-Politics:...
, he joined the school's rugby team where he played fullback on the first team, which reached the final of the Munster Senior Cup. De Valera was a close friend of the Ryan brothers at Rockwell who played on Ireland's Triple Crown-winning team in 1899. De Valera remained a lifelong devotee of rugby, attending numerous international matches up to and towards the end of his life despite near blindness.
Other notable politicians, from very different backgrounds, who have played rugby for Ireland include Tyrone Howe
Tyrone Howe
Tyrone Gyle Howe is a former rugby union footballer who played on the wing for University of St Andrews RFC, Ulster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions....
(a former Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
councillor), Trevor Ringland (a Unionist Parliamentary candidate) and Dick Spring
Dick Spring
Richard "Dick" Spring is an Irish businessman and former politician. He was first elected as a Labour Party Teachta Dála in 1981 and retained his seat until 2002. He became leader of the Labour Party in 1982, and held this position until 1997...
(an Irish Labour Party TD).
Present day
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
and unionists. Historically, it tended to be popular with different social groups in different parts of Ireland, although generally speaking it is regarded as a middle-class sport in Ireland and further afield. In Limerick City, it is enjoyed across the social spectrum game, while 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...
, Cork City and Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. 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...
it remains very much a middle-class game. In Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
it is traditionally played in mainly-middle-class Protestant grammar schools. The changing climate in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
politics has altered this perceived tradition with the introduction of rugby into an increasing number of Roman Catholic grammar and secondary schools which were previously exclusively associated with Gaelic games
Gaelic games
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...
. It is true to say overall that currently the vast majority of players representing the professional teams of all of the provinces of Ireland
Provinces of Ireland
Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces: Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, literally meaning "fifth part", indicates that there were once five; the fifth province, Meath, was incorporated into Leinster, with parts going to...
come from middle-class backgrounds.
The conversion of rugby from amateurism
Amateur sports
Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. Sporting amateurism was a zealously guarded ideal in the 19th century, especially among the upper classes, but faced steady erosion throughout the 20th century with the continuing growth of pro sports...
to professionalism
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
led to the Irish Rugby Football Union
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
(IRFU) using the provincial
Provinces of Ireland
Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces: Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, literally meaning "fifth part", indicates that there were once five; the fifth province, Meath, was incorporated into Leinster, with parts going to...
structure to create four professional teams, with the Irish players on these teams on central contracts to the IRFU, meaning that they, and not the provinces, control when the players play and when they rest. Professionalism has, on the whole, been very good for the top level of Irish rugby. The national team has won several triple crowns
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
and is able to play at a competitive level with the world's rugby giants, having beaten all but New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in the last five years.
Ireland's provinces
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
have also been successful in the professional era. Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
won the European Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
in 1999, and for the last five years Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
and Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
have regularly featured in the latter stages of the competition, culminating in Munster's wins in 2006
2005-06 Heineken Cup
The 2005–06 Heineken Cup was the eleventh edition of the European Heineken Cup rugby union club tournament. 24 teams from 7 different countries took part, with the opening game played on Friday October 21, 2005...
and 2008
2007-08 Heineken Cup
The 2007–08 Heineken Cup was the 13th edition of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby.The start of the tournament was delayed because of the 2007 Rugby World Cup...
and Leinster's in 2009
2009 Heineken Cup Final
The 2009 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Heineken Cup, the 14th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh; this was the second time that the Heineken Cup final had been held at Murrayfield after...
and 2011
2011 Heineken Cup Final
The 2011 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Heineken Cup, the 16th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 21 May 2011 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The match was contested by Northampton Saints of England and Leinster of Ireland,...
. In the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
(currently sponsored as the RaboDirect Pro12), the provinces
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
are either regular winners or near the top of the league, especially Leinster, in the last 5 seasons Leinster have been featured in the top 3 teams in the Celtic League. In 2006, the big three Irish provinces finished in the top three places of the league, Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
claiming the title with a dramatic last second drop goal ensuring they finished above Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
. Each of the big three has won the league at least once—Leinster won the league's inaugural title in 2002
2001–02 Celtic League
The 2001–02 Celtic League was the first season of the Celtic League. The first season would see fifteen teams compete: the four Irish provinces , two Scottish teams and all nine Welsh Premier Division teams .Played alongside...
and again in 2008, Ulster won it for the first and only time in 2006, and Munster won in 2003
2002–03 Celtic League
The 2002-03 Celtic League was the second season of the Celtic League involving teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Teams:-Pool A:-Pool B:-Week 1:-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:...
, 2009 and 2011.
The level below the provinces, the clubs
AIB League
The Ulster Bank All-Ireland League is the national league system for the 48 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is not, however, the highest level of rugby union in Ireland, as teams representing the four provinces of Ireland play...
, has probably suffered somewhat in the professional era. Top players play almost exclusively for their provinces with only rare outings for clubs, usually as a result of returning from injury or loss of form. Changes are underway in the club structure to try and make it more attractive, whilst maintaining club ethos.
The game was played in Croke Park on 2 May 2009, when Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
defeated Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
25–6. The attendance of 82,208 set a new world record attendance for a club rugby union game.
Competitions
The Irish National team competes in the Six Nations tournament and Summer and Autumn tests series' which are held every year, and also The Rugby World Cup which is held every four years. The Ireland "A" (second-level) national team, from February 2010 known as Ireland Wolfhounds, have in the past competed in a smaller tournament called the Churchill CupChurchill Cup
The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....
, although they did not play in the 2010 edition
2010 Churchill Cup
The 2010 Churchill Cup, the eighth edition of an annual international rugby union tournament, was taking place in the Denver and New York City metropolitan areas...
.
Irish provinces compete in the RaboDirect Pro12
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
(originally the Celtic League before gaining sponsorship first from Magners and now Rabobank
Rabobank
Rabobank is a financial services provider with offices worldwide. Their main location is in the Netherlands. They are a global leader in Food and Agri financing and in sustainability-oriented banking...
's RaboDirect subsidiary) against Welsh regions, Scotland super-districts, and from 2010–11 Italian franchises. Currently, Leinster, Munster and Ulster also compete in the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
. Connacht normally compete in the European Challenge Cup
European Challenge Cup
The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...
, but will make their Heineken Cup debut in 2011–12
2011–12 Heineken Cup
The 2011–12 Heineken Cup is the 17th season of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby...
by virtue of Leinster's 2011 Heineken Cup win.
Competitions have taken place since the late 19th century with the modern day Inter Provincial Championship between Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
, Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
, Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
and Connacht
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...
first contested in 1920, with the oldest interprovincial match held between Leinster and Ulster.
Another focus for the domestic game in Ireland is the All Ireland League
AIB League
The Ulster Bank All-Ireland League is the national league system for the 48 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is not, however, the highest level of rugby union in Ireland, as teams representing the four provinces of Ireland play...
. This was started in 1990 and has now expanded to three divisions.
Irish provincial "A" teams from Leinster, Munster and Ulster take part in the British and Irish Cup
British and Irish Cup
The British and Irish Cup is a semi-professional northern hemisphere rugby union competition. It took place for the first time in the 2009/10 season...
competition which started in 2009-10, which also includes three Scottish developmental sides, six clubs from the Welsh Premier Division
Welsh Premier Division
The Welsh Premier Division is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented by the Welsh Rugby Union for the 1990–91 season.-Competition history:...
, and all 12 clubs from England's RFU Championship
RFU Championship
The RFU Championship replaced National Division One as the second tier in the English rugby union system in September 2009. Unlike National Division One, which is semi-professional, the RFU Championship is a fully professional league.-History:...
.
Statistics
- Adult Male Players: 21740
- Women Players: 1756
- Number of Secondary Schools Players: 23586
- Number of Youth Players: 12472
- Number of Mini Rugby Players: 10967
- Primary School: 32209
- TOTAL PLAYERS: 100974
Demographics
Voluntary secondary school
A voluntary secondary school in Ireland is a type of secondary education school that is privately owned and managed, often by church authorities, especially in the case of the Roman Catholic religion...
are the heart 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...
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...
. Notable rugby union schools include Crescent College
Crescent College
Crescent College Comprehensive SJ is a secondary school located on a section of 40 acres of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland.- History :...
, Christian Brothers College, Cork
Christian Brothers College, Cork
Christian Brothers College, Cork is a fee-paying Catholic school under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust in Cork, Ireland....
, Presentation Brothers College, Cork
Presentation Brothers College, Cork
Presentation Brothers College is a Catholic, boys-only, fee-paying college based in Cork, Ireland.- History :The college was founded by the Presentation Brothers in 1878, in the South Mall. Soon afterwards it moved to the Grand Parade and, in 1887, to the Western Road...
, St. Conleth's College, Rockwell College
Rockwell College
Rockwell College, founded in 1864, is a private Catholic secondary school near Cashel, South Tipperary in Ireland. It offers day as well as full boarding. Rockwell is run by the Holy Ghost Fathers.-Politics:...
, St. Munchin's College
St. Munchin's College
St. Munchin's College is a second-level education college located in the Limerick city suburb of Corbally in the Irish county of Limerick. The school was founded in 1796.-College crest:...
Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College is a voluntary secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane in County Kildare, Ireland. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1814, it is one of Ireland's oldest Catholic schools, and featured prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the...
, Belvedere College
Belvedere College
Belvedere College SJ is a private secondary school for boys located on Great Denmark Street, Dublin, Ireland. It is also known as St. Francis Xavier's College....
, Blackrock College
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
, Mount Temple, St. Michael's College, St Mary's College Rathmines, Terenure College, The High School, Castleknock College
Castleknock College
Castleknock College is a private , secondary school for boys aged between 13 and 18, which is situated in the residential suburb of Castleknock, 8 km west of the city centre in Dublin, Ireland.-History:...
, Garbally College
Garbally College
Garbally College is a Catholic, boys-only, secondary school based in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland. It is officially known as St Joseph's College .-History:...
, Colaiste Iognaid Galway, Marist College, Athlone
Marist College, Athlone
Marist College is a secondary school for boys in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland. The school was founded in 1884 by the Marist Brothers, a French Order, and the first principal was Brother Mungo. The original school was based in Glesson Street/Saint Mary's Square. In 1973, the school moved to its...
, Sligo Grammar School, Campbell College
Campbell College
Campbell College is a Voluntary Grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The College educates boys from ages 11–18. It is one of the eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and is a member of the Independent Schools Council.The school occupies...
, Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...
(Inst), Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy is a mixed grammar school located in the market town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was founded in the early nineteenth century as a small provincial school for children in the town and surrounding agricultural hinterland.-Admissions:The school currently has...
, The Royal School, Armagh
The Royal School, Armagh
The Royal School, Armagh is a co-educational voluntary grammar school in the city of Armagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. It was one of a number of free schools created by King James I of England in 1608 to provide an education to the sons of local merchants and farmers during the plantation...
and Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast
Methodist College Belfast , styled locally as Methody, is a voluntary grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland, one of eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and is a member of the Independent Schools Council...
. Inst and Methody have historically been the most successful schools in the Ulster Schools Cup
Ulster Schools Cup
The Ulster Schools' Challenge Cup is an annual competition involving schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The Schools' Cup has the distinction of being the world's second-oldest rugby competition, having been competed for every year since 1876...
.
Current trends
The professional era and the advent of the Celtic LeagueCeltic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
and Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
have seen 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...
become a major spectator sport
Spectator sport
A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its matches. For instance, Tennis, Rugby, F-1, baseball, basketball, cricket, football , and ice hockey are spectator sports, while hunting or underwater hockey typically are not...
in Ireland. European Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
games are generally well supported in all the provinces, with sellouts the norm and massive crowds in Dublin's Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
for quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Ulster, Munster and Leinster have all won the Heineken Cup. In the past Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
led the Celtic League attendances for 3 years in the row and Connacht
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...
, Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
and Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
's crowds have grown year on year and with the later two setting new world records for province/club attendance.
Munster extensively renovated and expanded their traditional home of Thomond Park
Thomond Park
Thomond Park is a stadium located in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and count Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. The capacity of the stadium is 26,500 following its large scale redevelopment in...
in a project that was completed in 2008. Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
expanded their RDS Arena
RDS Arena
RDS Arena is a multi-purpose sports stadium, owned by the Royal Dublin Society and located in the Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge, Ireland.The arena was originally developed to host equestrian events, including the annual Dublin Horse Show, which was first held there in 1868. The site was acquired in...
in the same time period, which prompted Leinster to make it their primary home whilst they were planning to expand their own traditional ground at Donnybrook. After the Donnybrook plans fell through, Leinster chose to remain at the RDS. Connacht and Ulster are planning similar ground upgrades to increase capacity and comfort, as well as Munster at their secondary home of Musgrave Park
Musgrave Park, Cork
Musgrave Park is a rugby football stadium in the city of Cork, Ireland. The ground consists of four terraces, one stand, three tribunes, one jogging track, and two VIP stands on the west side. Musgrave has a capacity of about 9,251 and is situated on Pearse Road in Ballyphehane...
.
Before the opening of Aviva Stadium, Ireland international
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
games sold out against all but the weakest opposition, and with the team playing at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
during the reconstruction of Lansdowne Road, attendances regularly topped 80,000. However, the Aviva saw disappointing attendance during its first Tests in 2010, with no match selling out; media reports indicated that this was largely due to an IRFU ticketing strategy that made little sense in an uncertain economy
2008–2011 Irish financial crisis
The 2008–2011 Irish financial crisis, which had stemmed from the financial crisis of 2008, is a major political and economic crisis in Ireland that is partly responsible for the country falling into recession for the first time since the 1980s...
. More recent Tests have seen crowds much closer to capacity, including sellouts for both of Ireland's 2011 Six Nations
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,...
home fixtures.
The national team
The Ireland national team are considered by the IRBInternational Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
to be in the first tier
Rugby World Cup qualification
Rugby World Cup qualification is a process that determines which nations will compete at a Rugby World Cup.Unlike previous tournaments the 2011 World Cup will be contested by twelve automatic qualifiers / seeds Rugby World Cup qualification is a process that determines which nations will compete...
.
Ireland contest the Millennium Trophy
Millennium Trophy
The Millennium Trophy is a rugby union award contested annually by Ireland and England as part of the Six Nations Championship. It was initiated in 1988 as part of Dublin's millennial celebrations...
with England as part of the Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
.
Every four years the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
go on tour with players from 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...
as well as England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
As with all top-tier rugby nations, and many lower-tier countries, Ireland also field an "A" national side, a second-level national selection primarily intended to develop younger talent for possible future duty on the senior national team. Since February 2010, the IRFU have rebranded the A side as Ireland Wolfhounds. The Wolfhounds generally play "A" teams of the other major European powers and senior sides of lower-tier nations.
See also
- Sport in IrelandSport in IrelandIn Ireland many sports, such as boxing, hockey, rowing, cricket, rugby union, Gaelic football and hurling, are organised in an all-island basis, with a single team representing the whole of Ireland in international competitions...
- Sport in the United KingdomSport in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom has given birth to a range of major international sports including: Association football, rugby , cricket, golf, tennis, badminton, squash, rounders, hockey, boxing, snooker, billiards and curling...
- Ireland national rugby union team (sevens)Ireland national rugby union team (sevens)The Ireland national rugby union sevens team have previously competed in the IRB Sevens World Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens. Although there is no permanent team at present, there may well be in the future.-Results:...
- Shamrock Warriors RFCShamrock Warriors RFCShamrock Warriors RFC is a Rugby sevens club founded in 2009 by former Leinster out-half Fergal Campion. They are the only 7's club in Ireland endorsed by the Irish Rugby Football Union and will represent Ireland as the only official Irish 7's team competing at the top level tournaments in...