Rugby union is a popular sport in the British Isles (Great Britain and Ireland), including England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The game was arguably invented in 1823 by William Webb Ellis, and in 1871 the English Rugby Football Union was the first national rugby football union to be founded. It is organised separately in each of these countries, and also on an all-Ireland basis.
Rugby union in the British Isles is discussed in the following articles, corresponding to the separate organisations governing the sport:
Rugby union in England Rugby union in Ireland Rugby union in Scotland Rugby union in Wales
And also in the Crown Dependencies: Rugby union in Guernsey Rugby union in Jersey Rugby union in the Isle of Man
And also in various British Overseas Territories: Rugby union in Anguilla Rugby union in the Cayman Islands Rugby union in Gibraltar Rugby union in the British Virgin Islands
However areas where the sport is similar between the Home Nations will be discussed in this article.
National team Men's
Unlike in rugby league, no combined British and Irish national rugby union team has ever competed in a major tournament such as the Rugby World Cup. Instead, the British & Irish Lions go on tours to the traditional Southern Hemisphere nations of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, currently occurring on a four-year cycle; the first was an 1888 tour to New Zealand and Australia. The team also plays in select one-off matches as preparation for the tour test series.
In major competition the Home Nations represent themselves as: England national rugby union team Scotland national rugby union team Wales national rugby union team Ireland national rugby union team
Women's
There is also a unified Great Britain women's national rugby union team; however, in most cases, women's rugby also sees the Home Nations represented individually by: England women's national rugby union team Scotland women's national rugby union team Wales women's national rugby union team Ireland women's national rugby union team
Domestic competitions The Home Nations run individual competition across four league systems:
English rugby union system Scottish rugby union system Welsh rugby union system Irish rugby union system
Stadiums
Each national team has their own national stadium:
Twickenham Stadium for England Murrayfield Stadium for Scotland Millennium Stadium for Wales Aviva Stadium for Ireland
Tournaments hosted XV CompetitionYearHome Nations who HostedRugby union at the Summer Olympics1908 Wales IrelandRugby World Cup (M)1991 IrelandRugby World Cup (W)19911994Rugby World Cup (M)1999Rugby World Cup (W)2010Rugby World Cup (M)2015Rugby World Cup (W)2017 Ireland2025
Sevens CompetitionYearHome Nations who HostedRugby World Cup Sevens19931997 British Hong KongRugby sevens at the Commonwealth Games200220142022
Rugby Sevens Rugby Sevens is a version of Rugby Union played with seven players per side instead of the usual fifteen. The home nations field individual national teams however the, what could be considered the United Kingdom's greatest achievement in the sport came in the 2016 Summer Olympics, as two united Great Britain teams competed in the inaugural edition of the sport's tournament at the Summer Olympics. The Great Britain teams were formed only ten weeks prior to the games and saw the men's team reach the final achieving a runners up place, and the women's team achieved fourth.
National teams Great Britain Great Britain national rugby sevens team Great Britain women's national rugby sevens team Home nations England national rugby sevens team England women's national rugby sevens team Scotland national rugby sevens team Scotland women's national rugby sevens team Wales national rugby sevens team Wales women's national rugby sevens team Ireland national rugby sevens team Ireland women's national rugby sevens team
See also British & Irish Lions Rugby league in the British Isles
Notes
References