International Rugby Events
European Union
All kind of International Rugby Events, like June Tours, Pacific cups and all others.
Ireland vs South Africa
Match scheduled:
Date: 28-11-2009
Time:15:30 until 17:30
Autumn Internationals / And Of Year Tours
The Ireland rugby union team represents the island of Ireland, both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in rugby union. Ireland is the current Six Nations Champions. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship (which they have won eleven times outright and shared eight times) and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they have been eliminated at the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions (1999 and 2007). Ireland is also one of the four unions which make up the British and Irish Lions - players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions. Eight former Ireland players have earned induction into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, with four of them also having earned induction into the IRB Hall of Fame.
Outside centre Brian O'Driscoll, the current captain and Ireland's current all-time leading try scorer, is considered one of the best rugby players in the world and led Ireland to only their second Grand Slam in March 2009. He was also captain of the Lions on their 2005 tour of New Zealand, although his on-field captaincy was cut short by a controversial injury in the Lions' first Test. O'Driscoll was succeeded as Lions captain for their 2009 tour of South Africa by his current teammate, lock Paul O'Connell. Keith Wood, O'Driscoll's predecessor as Ireland captain before retiring in 2003, was the inaugural IRB International Player of the Year in 2001.
Ireland's highest ever position in the IRB World Rankings is third which they reached in 2003 and 2006. They currently lie in joint-fourth position with France as of 16 November 2009.[1]
