This article is all about the Irish Rugby Union Team. In this article you will get all the information about Ireland Rugby Union team’s history, current structure and some notable players’ names as well.
All about Ireland Rugby Union Team
The Ireland Rugby Union Team is the national rugby team of Ireland, both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in all the international rugby union matches. The team also participates in the annual Six Nations Championships and IRB Rugby World Cup. The players playing for Ireland rugby union team are also eligible to play for the British Lions Rugby Union Team. The Ireland rugby union team plays all of its home games at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Basic Details about Ireland Rugby Union Team
Union: Irish Rugby Football Union
Emblem: The Shamrock
Home Ground: Aviva Stadium
Current Coach: Josef Schmidt
Current Captain: Paul O’Connell
Most Tests: Brian O’Driscoll – 133 Tests
Top Scorer: Ronan O’Gara – 1, 083 Points
Most Tries: Brian O’Driscoll – 46 Tries
First International: Vs England on 15th February, 1875 | Result: England 7 – Ireland 0
Biggest Win: Vs United States on 10th June, 2000 | Result: Ireland 83 – United States 3
Biggest Loss: Vs New Zealand on 23rd June, 2012 | Result: New Zealand 60 – Ireland 0
IRB Rugby World Cup Performance: 7 World Cups | Best: Quarter Finals: 1987, 1991, 1995, 2003 and 2011
History of Ireland Rugby Union Team
The history of the Ireland rugby union team takes us back to 1854 when there were rugby games used to play between schools and universities. Ireland played their first ever international test against England on 15th February, 1875 at the Oval in London and lost the game by 0-7.
Performance by Irish Rugby Union Team in International Games
The Irish rugby union team is a regular participant in the annual Six Nations Tournament. Ireland has overall won total 12 tournaments and has shared the trophy for the 9 other times. Ireland has also achieved the feat of winning the Grand Slam in this tournament twice.
In the IRB Rugby World Cup Ireland has been a regular participant and has reached the quarter final stage 5 times out of the 7 attempts at the tournament.
Notable Players of the Ireland Rugby Union Team
- Ronnie Dawson
- Mike Gibson
- Willie John McBride
- Tony O’Reilly
- Jack Kyle
- Syd Millar
- Keith Wood
- Tom Kiernan
- Fergus Slattery