Ireland Rugby

The ancient sport of Caid, which was played in Ireland, had strong similarities with rugby and by 1854 Reece Lockhart founded one of the first clubs in Ireland. 1874 saw the creation of the Irish Football Union and they played their first international match the year after, losing 7-0 to England. It took the side until 1881 to register their first win, overcoming Scotland in Belfast.

The home of Irish rugby is Lansdowne Road in Dublin, which has been their home since 1872, making the stadium the oldest still in use for international rugby. The stadium was demolished in 2007, but in similar vein to Wembley in England, the new stadium was built on the exact same site. Opening in 2010, the renamed Aviva Stadium is a structural work of art and now has a 51,700-seat capacity.

Ireland compete in the annual Six Nations competition, in which they have been named victors 11 times. Along with Wales and Scotland they have contested a record 119 tournaments. Their most recent success came in 2009. Under the tutelage of Declan Kidney and captained by the impeccable Brian O'Driscoll, the side achieved only their second Grand Slam in history, winning the tournament by four points. In the Rugby World Cup they have not advanced past the quarter-final stages, going out at this stage in six of their seven World Cup tournaments. Their highest world ranking was achieved in 2003 and 2006 when they reached third place. Their current ranking is seventh.

Brian O'Driscoll is considered to be one of the greatest players in rugby history and unsurprisingly is etched into the Irish history books. He is tied with Ronan O'Gara on 128 caps but will surpass O'Gara as he is still playing international rugby, while O'Gara is enjoying retirement. He is also the record try scorer, having gone over the line on 46 occasions. 

O'Gara can take solace in the fact that he is Ireland's record point scorer with an incredible 1083, 500 more than second place David Humphreys. Hooker Keith Wood was one of the country's greatest captains. What he lacked in technique he made up for in leadership qualities, and he was named World Player of the Year in 2001. His 15 tries for Ireland are a world record for most international tries by a hooker. Thomas Gisborne Gordon holds another unique record, as he is the only player from either code of rugby to play internationally despite having one hand.

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