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Irish Rugby Football Union

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 19 September 2007

Irish Rugby Football Union

See also:

Irish Rugby Football Union

The Irish rugby is made of players coming either from the Republic of Ireland or from Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In the World Cup 2007, the "official" flag, that is the one used during the teams' presentation (and, additionally, as an icon on the World Cup website), is the flag of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Remember that rugby was originally known as "rugby football", since it was a "deviant" form of football "invented" at Rugby College in 1823 by William Webb Ellis; the history is indeed more complicated...)

Quoting the most salient facts in the Irish rugby, from the IRFU website:
"Dublin University, founded in 1854, was the first organised Rugby Football Club in Ireland . [...] From 1874 to 1879 there were two Unions. The Irish Football Union had jurisdiction over Clubs in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster; the Northern Football Union of Ireland controlled the Belfast area.[...] In 1879 the two Unions agreed to amalgamate on the following terms:
(i) A Union to be known as the Irish Rugby Football Union was to be formed for the whole country.
(ii) Branches were to be formed in Leinster, Munster and Ulster.
(iii) The Union was to be run by a Council of eighteen, made up of six from each province.[...]
In 1885, twenty-six Clubs were affiliated to the Union of which ten were in Ulster, nine in Leinster, seven in Munster. The Connacht Branch was formed in 1886. There are presently 60,000 (approx.) players in total in Ireland. 56 clubs are affiliated to the Ulster Branch; 71 to the Leinster Branch: 59 to the Munster Branch and 19 to the Connacht Branch. In addition there are 246 Schools playing rugby, Ulster (107),
Leinster (75), Munster (41) and Connacht (23).[...]"

The IRFU flag, as shown on a photograph on the IRFU website, is green with the emblem of IRFU in the middle, surrounded by the shields of the four Irish provinces, Ulster (upper hoist), Leinster (upper fly), Munster (lower hoist) and Connacht (lower fly) - see http://www.irishrugby.ie/6855_8117.php. A partial image of the flag used during the presentations of the teams of Ireland and Georgia in Bordeaux, 16 September 2007, can be seen on the IRFU website at http://www.irishrugby.ie/8995.php.

Ivan Sache, 17 September 2007

The image above was made using http://innisfree1916.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/irfu-logo.png for the emblem and this photo, shields from http://www.irishlegendsrugby.ie/aboutcrest.php (where Munster's crowns are placed 1+2, instead of the usual 2+1). This version presents several detail differences comparing with the photo at http://www.irishrugby.ie/6855_8117.php: larger shields with thinner edges, and (perhaps) smaller logo.
Provincial rugby associations' logos can also be found:
http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/Ulster-Logo.jpg
http://www.munsterrugby.ie/images/news/logo_550x290.jpg
http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/uploadedfiles/News%20Area/Leinster%20Logo.jpg
http://www.connachtrugby.ie/

António Martins-Tuválkin 19 September 2007