page_title: Rugby union in Ireland
section_title: Men's national teams
hierarchical_section_title: Rugby union in Ireland / National teams / Men's national teams
caption_attribution_description: English: Ireland Women line up for the National Anthem during the 2015 RBS Six Nations
context_page_description: Rugby union in Ireland is a popular team sport. Rugby union is organised on an all-Ireland basis with one national team, governing body and league for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland is the third-oldest rugby nation after England and Scotland respectively, and the game was organised there fractionally before in Wales.
context_section_description: The Ireland national team are considered by World Rugby to be in the first tier.
  Ireland contest the Six Nations Championship every year against Europe's traditional rugby powers.
  Every four years the British and Irish Lions go on tour with players from Ireland as well as England, Scotland and Wales.
  As with all top-tier rugby nations, and many lower-tier countries, Ireland also field an "A" national side, a second-level national selection primarily intended to develop younger talent for possible future duty on the senior national team. Since February 2010, the IRFU have rebranded the A side as Ireland Wolfhounds. The Wolfhounds generally play "A" teams of the other major European powers and senior sides of lower-tier nations.
  The IRFU also fields the Ireland national rugby sevens team. The sevens team competes in qualifying events for major quadrennial tournaments – the Olympics and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. The sevens team also competes in qualifying for the World Rugby Sevens Series.
  The IRFU also organizes an Ireland national under-20 rugby union team that competes against under-20 teams from other counties in Europe and globally.
caption: Ireland women 2015 RBS Six Nations Championship winning side.
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