 | |||
| Union | Irish Rugby Football Union | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Emblem(s) | the Shamrock | ||
| Ground(s) | Donnybrook Stadium Ravenhill Stadium Galway Sportsgrounds Thomond Park Musgrave Park | ||
| Coach(es) | Andy Farrell | ||
| Captain(s) | Craig Casey | ||
| |||
| First match | |||
Ireland XV  3–4  France(26 January 1946) | |||
| Largest win | |||
Ireland XV 60–3  Scotland A(01 March 2002) | |||
| Largest defeat | |||
| Ireland XV 7–67 Scotland A (22 February 2008) | |||
The Ireland Wolfhounds (also known as Ireland A and Ireland B) are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. They previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons, the national teams of Canada and the United States, as well as a selection of other nations' 1st, 2nd and 3rd representative sides (including Scotland A and the New Zealand Māori). They also played against other Six Nations countries' A sides during the Six Nations. They have intermittently played touring sides, namely South Africa in 2000, the All Blacks in 2001 and Australia in 2006. On the 21 June 2009, Ireland A won their first Churchill Cup, beating the England Saxons 49–22 in the final. They also won the Churchill Plate three times in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Initially named Ireland B, the side was redesignated to Ireland A from the 1992–1993 season.[1] They were once again renamed the Ireland Wolfhounds in January 2010.[2] This name was inspired by a nomadic invitational side, which competed between 1956 and 1987 against other club sides throughout Ireland.[3] The Wolfhounds have not competed in a competition since the IRFU declined to compete in the 2016 Tbilisi Cup.[4] Ireland A played their first match in over seven years against the All Blacks XV in November 2022 at the RDS losing 19–47.[5][6]
- ^ "IRELAND A AND B INTERNATIONALS:TEAMS AND RESULTS". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Result: Llanelli 12 Ulster 12". Irish Rugby Football Union. 28 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ "Wolfhounds To Return To Irish Rugby". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ O'Sullivan, John (4 January 2018). "Rugby statistics: Ireland opportunity yet to knock for Tom Farrell". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ "Ireland A will play against an All Blacks XV in November at the RDS". the42. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Ireland A battered, bruised and outclassed by a dominant All Blacks Development XV". Irish Times. Retrieved 4 November 2022.