| Event | International Rules Series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Australia win series 109–79 on aggregate | |||||||
| First test | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 28 October 2006 | ||||||
| Venue | Pearse Stadium, Galway | ||||||
| Referee | Pat McEnaney (Ireland)[1] Shane McInerney (Australia)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 35,000 | ||||||
| Second test | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 5 November 2006 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | David Coldrick (Ireland)[1] Shane McInerney (Australia)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 82,127 (Sell Out) | ||||||
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 a landmark occasion for the International Rules Series and Irish sport; the Galway test was the first international rules series match to be played under floodlights in Ireland and the first to be played outside Dublin, whilst the attendance for the second test was the largest in the history of international sport in Ireland.[2]
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.
- ^ a b c d "McEnaney to ref in Rules opener". BBC. 25 October 2006.
- ^ "Aussies thump Ireland to retain trophy". RTÉ. 5 November 2006.
The hybrid game has always had its detractors, and the heavy-handed tactics that Kevin Sheedy's victors deployed in front of 82,127 Croke Park spectators – a record crowd for an international fixture held on Irish soil – will only add to their number.