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There are two Ireland national rugby league teams – Ireland and Ireland A. Ireland is the primary team which is made up of Irish players who compete in leagues across the globe whereas Ireland A is made up of players who play in the amateur Irish Elite League only. Irish players are also eligible for the Great Britain national team.
Rugby League Ireland (RLI) is the internationally recognised governing body for the development of rugby league football in Ireland, [1] having secured official recognition from the RLIF in 2000. It is recognised within the Irish Sports Council and took over the running of the Irish international team entirely in 2008 for the World Cup.
The first domestic rugby league club in Ireland were the Dublin Blues. They were a club founded in 1989 by Brian Corrigan. Following the formation of the Ireland national side in 1995 a league competition was mooted to aid further development. In 1997, the first Rugby League tournament began in Ireland.
In 2004 the Rugby Football League was able to report a return to profitability, a reunified structure and a 94% increase in registered players in just two years. [30] In 2008, rugby league held its first World Cup since the disastrous 2000 tournament. The 2008 competition was heralded as a great success, turning a significant profit, and was ...
Rugby league is the dominant winter sport in the eastern Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland. [46] The game is also among the predominant sports of Tonga [47] and is played in other Pacific nations such as Samoa and Fiji. Researchers have found that rugby league has been able to help with improving development in the islands. [48]
The two rugby codes differ as the result of changes made to the rules of rugby league. League implemented these changes with the aim of making a faster-paced and more try-oriented game than rugby union. The main differences between the two games, besides league having teams of 13 players and union of 15, involve the tackle and its aftermath:
Ireland were drawn against Lebanon and Russia in Europe's 2008 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying Pool Two. Ireland topped the group with a 16–16 draw with Lebanon at Dewsbury on 2 November 2007. The draw meant Ireland qualified for the 2008 World Cup on points difference from Lebanon as both nations gained the same number of group points.
The Blues were a dominant force in the late 90's and early 00's in Irish rugby league in total they took part in 6 All Ireland Grand Finals winning 3 and also an Al Ireland Challenge Cup Final in 1998. While the early 2000s bore fruit for Ireland's oldest team the Blues became weakened towards the end of the decade and in 2008 ceased to exist.