page_title: History of the Ireland national rugby union team
section_title: Post-war: 1945–59
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Ireland national rugby union team / Post-war: 1945–59
caption_attribution_description: English: W.J. Hewitt (Ireland) and Miguel A. Sarandón (Argentina) posing together in Buenos Aires during the Ireland national team tour to South America.
context_page_description: The history of the Ireland national rugby union team began in 1875, when Ireland played its first international match, a 0–7 loss against England. Ireland has competed in the Six Nations rugby tournament since 1883. The Ireland national rugby union team has also competed at the Rugby World Cup every four years since its inception in 1987.
context_section_description: In 1948, inspired by tactician and fly-half Jack Kyle, Ireland beat France in Paris, England at Twickenham and a 6–0 win over Scotland at Lansdowne Road. They clinched their first Grand Slam in the Five Nations with a win against Wales at Ravenhill, Belfast. Ireland were champions and Triple Crown winners again in 1949.
  The Irish used only 19 players in clinching the 1949 Championship and Triple Crown, only the fourth time that the Triple Crown had been retained.
  In 1951, Ireland were once more crowned outright Five Nations champions and were unbeaten going into their final game. They failed to win the Grand Slam or Triple Crown following a 3–3 draw with Wales in Cardiff.
  The year of 1952 saw only Ireland's second overseas tour, the first for over half a century – as they headed to Argentina for a nine-match trip which included two Test matches. Ireland won six, drew two and lost one of the matches, their Test record being won one, drawn one.
  On 27 February 1954, Ireland were due to play Scotland at Ravenhill in Belfast. The new Irish captain, Jim McCarthy, told IRFU president Sarsfield Hogan that the eleven Republic-based players would not stand for "God Save the Queen" alongside the Scottish team. It was agreed that an abbreviated anthem, known in Ulster as "the Salute", would be played that afternoon and that the Irish team would never play again at Ravenhill. Ireland went on to beat Scotland 6–0 but did not play in Northern Ireland again until 2007.
  On 18 January 1958, Ireland beat Australia 9–6 in Dublin, this was the first time a major touring team had been defeated.
caption: W.J. Hewitt (Ireland) and Miguel A. Sarandón (Argentina) during the tour to South America of 1952
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