Ireland national rugby union team

The Ireland national rugby union team is Ireland's international rugby union team. It is unusual in international rugby in that it represents both political entities on the island of Ireland: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Today the team plays home games at Lansdowne Road in Dublin but in the past they have played home games in Belfast in Northern Ireland. For approximately five years there was a second union, the Northern Football Union of Ireland, but in 1879 the two unions resolved their differences and merged.

Famous players

• Willie Anderson (1955 - )
• Shane Byrne (1971 - )
• Victor Costello
• Peter Clohessy
• Gordon D'Arcy (1980 - )
• Mick Doyle (1941 - 2004)
• Mike Gibson (1942 - )
• John Hayes
• Denis Hickie
• Shane Horgan (1978 - )
• David Humphreys (1971 - )
• Kevin Maggs (1974 - )
• Robert Blair 'Paddy' Mayne (1915 - 1955)
• Willie John McBride (1940 - )
• Geordan Murphy (1978 - )
• Donncha O'Callaghan (1979 - )
• Paul O'Connell (1979 - )
• Brian O'Driscoll (1979 - )
• Ronan O'Gara (1977 - )
• Malcolm O'Kelly (1974 - )
• Tony O'Reilly (1936 - )
• Fergus Slattery (1949 - )
• Peter Stringer (1977 - )
• Keith Wood (1972 - )