2006 International Rules Series
| Event | International Rules Series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Australia win series 109–79 on aggregate | |||||||
| First test | |||||||
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| Date | 28 October 2006 | ||||||
| Venue | Pearse Stadium, Galway, Salthill | ||||||
| Referee |
Pat McEnaney (Ireland) Shane McInerney (Australia) |
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| Attendance | 35,000 | ||||||
| Second test | |||||||
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| Date | 5 November 2006 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin, Dublin City | ||||||
| Referee |
David Coldrick (Ireland) Shane McInerney (Australia) |
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| Attendance | 82,127 (Sell Out) | ||||||
Pat McEnaney (Ireland)
David Coldrick (Ireland)
The 2006 International Rules Series (officially the 2006 Coca-Cola International Rules Series) was the 13th annual International Rules Series and was played between Ireland and Australia.
The 2006 series involved two sell-out test matches, the first in Galway and the second in Dublin. Both of the matches were landmark matches for international rules tests in Ireland: the Galway test was the first international rules series match to be played under floodlights and the Dublin crowd was the largest crowd in the history of international sport in Ireland.
Both tests were again controversial due to the off-field actions of the Australian team and the on-field actions of both teams, as well as injury to several players from both sides.
Graham Geraghty was cited for a knee to the head of Australia's Lindsay Gilbee.
Off field controversy also dominated the series. Brendan Fevola's assault of an Irish barman which resulted in his being sent home from the Australian tour in the series brought the series into question for the behaviour and laid-back attitude which the professional Australian players have towards the series.
A tackle by Australia's Danyle Pearce on Ireland's Graham Geraghty in the second test left Geraghty unconscious and requiring hospitalisation. The act was considered a "square up", further adding tensions to the series. Despite several on-field incidents, including a shirtfront by Adam Selwood which resulted in the broken nose of an Irish opponent and a headbutt to Australia's Ryan O'Keefe which left his face bloodied, red cards were not used and the actions were cleared by the match review panels.
Irish Coach Sean Boylan publicly blamed thuggery and refereeing for Ireland's loss to Australia and called for the series to be scrapped. In December, 2006, the Gaelic Athletic Association decided not to participate in the series any further unless the Australians agreed to abide by a code of conduct and more strict rules regarding tackling.
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