Rugby Union in Ireland
Rugby Union is a popular sport in Ireland .
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) organizes the sport in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland . There is only one national team and the teams in the Pro12 include the four provinces of Connacht , Leinster , Munster and Ulster , with some of the counties of the latter being part of Northern Ireland.
history
The game of caid has a long tradition in Ireland . It is similar to rugby and, along with hurling, is a predecessor of the popular sport of Gaelic football today .
In 1854, Trinity College students formed Ireland's first rugby club. They had got to know the sport in English schools. From 1874 to 1879 there were two associations responsible for rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU organized the game in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster, the Northern Football Union of Ireland was responsible for the region around Belfast . In 1875 the national team played their first international match against England . In 1879 the two associations decided to merge, and the Connacht region joined in 1886.
With the division of the country, the IRFU was responsible for regions of two states. In 1923 an area was bought in the Belfast district of Ravenhill to host the national team's games there. Ireland played at Ravenhill Stadium for 30 years before moving to Lansdowne Road . Due to renovation work, the international matches are now played in Croke Park , which has only been approved for rugby and football since 2005 . Previously, only originally Irish sports were allowed to take place there.
Competitions
The four Irish provincial teams compete in the Celtic League, also known as the Magners League from 2006 to 2011 due to the main sponsor and since 2011 Pro12 , against teams from Scotland and Wales . The three best teams of a season qualify for the Heineken Cup , in which the best European clubs meet. The fourth team competes in the European Challenge Cup . So far, Ulster and Munster have each won the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League once. Leinster is a two-time Celtic League champion. Connacht has not yet won a title in these competitions and is traditionally the weakest of the four Irish teams as it has a significantly smaller player base and the Irish sports are far more popular in this province.
Even before the professional era, which began in 1995, there were regular meetings between the provinces. The first games were played in the late 19th century. The All-Ireland League has existed since 1990, comprising 48 Irish clubs competing in three divisions. The four best clubs play in a play-off for the title of the respective division. The two worst placed are relegated to the lower division and are replaced by the two strongest in the lower division. Below the All-Ireland League there are the provincial leagues.
National team
According to the classification of the International Rugby Board, the Irish national team belongs to the highest strength class ("first tier") and has so far participated in all world championships. She reached the quarter-finals four times in the six events and, unlike the British national teams, has never made it to the semi-finals.
Ireland takes part in the Six Nations every year and has won this tournament eleven times. The national team reached the Grand Slam three times ( 1948 , 2009 and 2018 ). As part of the tournament, they play against England for the Millennium Trophy .
Ireland provides players to the British and Irish Lions national team every four years . Player Brian O'Driscoll was the captain of the last tour in 2005 when the Lions traveled to New Zealand and lost all three games to the All Blacks . Paul O'Connell led the Lions to South Africa in the summer of 2009 .
Before the national team's home games, two anthems are played instead of one national anthem. First of all, this is Amhrán na bhFiann , the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland. An orchestra then plays the song Ireland's Call, composed especially for rugby union international matches in 1995 . For away games, only Ireland's call is allowed.
popularity
Rugby Union is popular across Ireland, with the sport particularly popular in Munster, Ulster and Dublin . According to the IRB, there are more than 100,000 registered players in Ireland, organized in around 200 clubs. There are also 2356 referees.
With the professionalization of sport and the founding of the Celtic League and the Heineken Cup, rugby union has become one of the most popular and most visited sports in Ireland. The average attendance for the four provincial teams is one of the highest in Europe. The international matches are regularly sold out, with up to 80,000 people coming to the national team's matches.
See also
References and comments
- ↑ IRB ( Memento of the original from October 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
