Ireland rugby union team
 |
|
| Emblem | Shamrock |
|---|---|
| Union | Irish Rugby Football Union |
| Head coach | Joe Schmidt |
| Captain | Rory Best |
| Most caps | Brian O'Driscoll (133) |
| Top scorer | Ronan O'Gara (1,083) |
| Top try scorer | Brian O'Driscoll (46) |
| Home stadium | Aviva Stadium |
| World Rugby ranking | |
| Current | 4 (as of 28th November 2016) |
| Highest | 2 (2015) |
| Lowest | 9 (2013) |
| First international | |
|
England 7–0 Ireland (15 February 1875) |
|
| Biggest win | |
|
United States 3–83 Ireland (10 June 2000) |
|
| Biggest defeat | |
|
New Zealand 60–0 Ireland (23 June 2012) |
|
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 8 (First in 1987) |
| Best result | Quarter-finals, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2011, 2015 |
| Website | www.irishrugby.ie |
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland (both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship, which they have won twelve times outright and shared eight times. The team also competes every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions (1999 and 2007). Ireland is also one of the four unions that make up the British and Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions.
Ireland's highest ever position in the World Rugby Rankings is second, which they reached for the first time in 2015.
Eleven former Ireland players have earned induction into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Former outside centre and captain Brian O'Driscoll, Ireland's all-time leader in tries scored, was considered one of the best rugby players in the world, and led Ireland to only their second Grand Slam in 2009.
Dublin University was the first organised rugby football club in Ireland, having been founded in 1854. The club was organised by students who had learnt the game while at public schools in Great Britain. During the third quarter of the nineteenth century, and following the adoption of a set of official rules in 1868, rugby football began to spread quickly throughout Ireland, resulting in the formation of several other clubs which are still in existence, including NIFC (1868); Wanderers (1869); Queen's University (1869); Lansdowne (1873); Dungannon (1873); Co. Carlow (1873); UCC (1874); and Ballinasloe (1875) which amalgamated with Athlone to form Buccaneers.
In 1874, the Irish Football Union (reconstituted as the Irish Rugby Football Union after unification with the North of Ireland Union) was formed. Ireland lost their first test match against England 7–0 at the Oval on 15 February 1875. Both teams fielded 20 players in this match, as was customary in the early years of rugby union; it was not until 1877 that the number of players was reduced from 20 to 15. Ireland's first home game was also against England in the same year held at the Leinster Cricket Club in Rathmines as Lansdowne Road was deemed unsuitable. The first match at Lansdowne Road was held on 11 March 1878, with England beating Ireland by 2 goals and 1 try to nil.
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