Ireland Wolfhounds

For the Ireland Wolfhounds rugby league team, see Ireland national rugby league team.

Ireland Wolfhounds

File:Ireland rugby.png
Union	Irish Rugby Football Union
Emblem(s)	the Shamrock
Ground(s)	Donnybrook, Ravenhill, The Sportsground
Coach(es)	Dan McFarland Richie Murphy
Captain(s)	Felix Jones
1st kit 2nd kit
First match
Ireland XV  3–4 France (26 January 1946)
Largest win
Ireland XV  60–3 Italy A
Largest defeat
Ireland XV  7–67 Scotland A (22 February 2008)

The Ireland Wolfhounds (formerly Ireland A) are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. They have previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons and the full national teams of Canada and the United States, as well as with a selection of other nations' 1st, 2nd and 3rd representative sides (including Scotland A and the New Zealand Maori). They also play against other 6 Nations countries' A sides during the RBS 6 Nations. Now and again they will also play touring sides. For example, they played South Africa in 2000, the All Blacks in 2001 and Australia in 2006. On the 21 June 2009, Ireland A won their first Churchill Cup, beating the England Saxons 49–22 in the final. They also won the Churchill Plate three times in 2006, 2007 and 2008. They were renamed Ireland Wolfhounds in January 2010.

Current squad

Ireland Wolfhounds 23-man match day squad to play England Saxons on 30 January 2015.

Forwards

Player	Position	Club
Rob Herring	Hooker	Ulster
Richardt Strauss	Hooker	Leinster
Michael Bent	Prop	Leinster
Jack McGrath	Prop	Leinster
Mike Ross	Prop	Leinster
Nathan White	Prop	Connacht
Robbie Diack	Lock	Ulster
Iain Henderson	Lock	Ulster
Mike McCarthy	Lock	Leinster
Seán O'Brien	Flanker	Leinster
Dominic Ryan	Flanker	Leinster
Jack Conan	Number eight	Leinster
Eoin McKeon	Number eight	Connacht

Backs

Player	Position	Club
Isaac Boss	Scrum-half	Leinster
Kieran Marmion	Scrum-half	Connacht
Ian Madigan	Fly-half	Leinster
Gordon D'Arcy	Centre	Leinster
Keith Earls	Centre	Munster
Noel Reid	Centre	Leinster
Luke Fitzgerald	Wing	Leinster
Craig Gilroy	Wing	Ulster
Fergus McFadden	Wing	Leinster
Felix Jones (c)	Fullback	Munster

Results

1990s

• 28 December 1992: Scotland A 22-13 Ireland A
• 5 March 1993: Wales A 28-29 Ireland A
• 19 March 1993: England A 22-18 Ireland A
• 28 December 1993: Scotland A 24-9 Ireland A
• 4 February 1994: Ireland A 10-20 Wales A
• 18 February 1994: England A 29-14 Ireland A
• 20 January 1995: England A 21-20 Ireland A
• 3 February 1995: Scotland A 24-18 Ireland A
• 17 March 1995: Wales A 30-19 Ireland A
• 19 January 1996: Ireland 26-19 Scotland A
• 1 March 1996: Ireland A 25-11 Wales A
• 15 March 1996: England A 56-26 Ireland A
• 12 November 1996: Ireland A 28-25 South Africa A
• 17 January 1997: Ireland A 23-44 France A
• 31 January 1997: Ireland A 14-34 Wales A
• 14 February 1997: England A 44-30 Ireland A
• 28 February 1997: Scotland A 33-34 Ireland A
• 22 May 1997: Northland 69-16 Ireland A
• 26 May 1997: New Zealand 74-15 Ireland A
• 29 May 1997: Bay of Plenty 52-39 Ireland A
• 1 June 1997: Thames Valley 12-38 Ireland A
• 6 June 1997: King Country 32-26 Ireland A
• 10 June 1997: New Zealand Māori 41-10 Ireland A
• 14 June 1997: Samoa 57-25 Ireland A
• 26 November 1997: Canada 10-26 Ireland A
• 6 February 1998: Ireland 9-11 Scotland A
• 6 March 1998: Ireland A 30-30 France A
• 20 March 1998: Ireland A 27-42 Wales A
• 3 April 1998: England A 40-30 Ireland A
• 1 December 1998: South Africa XV 19-19 Ireland A
• 5 February 1999: France A 25-26 Ireland A
• 19 February 1999: Ireland A 29-40 Wales A
• 5 March 1999: England A 28-21 Ireland A
• 19 March 1999: Scotland A 31-21 Ireland A
• 9 April 1999: Italy A 17-73 Ireland A

2000s

• 4 February 2000: England A 30-31 Ireland A
• 18 February 2000: Ireland A 23-21 Scotland A
• 3 March 2000: Ireland A 31-3 Italy A
• 18 March 2000: France A 31-25 Ireland A
• 31 March 2000: Ireland A 28-26 Wales A
• 15 November 2000: Ireland A 28–11 South Africa XV
• 2 February 2001: Italy A 16–68 Ireland A
• 16 February 2001: Ireland A 23–55 France A
• 13 November 2001: Ireland A 30–43 New Zealand XV
• 2 February 2002: Ireland A 55–22 Wales A
• 15 February 2002: England A 18–25 Ireland A
• 1 March 2002: Ireland A 60–3 Scotland A
• 22 March 2002: Ireland A 59–5 Italy A
• 5 April 2002: France A 30–20 Ireland A
• 15 February 2003: Scotland A 22–22 Ireland A
• 21 February 2003: Italy A 11–28 Ireland A
• 7 March 2003: Ireland A 19–29 France A
• 28 March 2003: Ireland A 24–21 England A
• 11 March 2005: Ireland A 15–9 France A
• 10 February 2006: France A 20-12 Ireland A
• 17 March 2006: England A 18–33 Ireland A
• 3 June 2006: USA 13–28 Ireland A
• 10 June 2006: New Zealand Māori 27–6 Ireland A
• 17 June 2006: England Saxons 30-27 Ireland A
• 15 November 2006: Ireland A 17–24 Australia A
• 9 February 2007: Ireland A 5–32 England Saxons
• 19 May 2007: Ireland A 39–20 Canada
• 29 May 2007: Ireland A 22-50 New Zealand Māori
• 2 June 2007: Ireland A 22–21 Scotland A
• 1 February 2008: England Saxons 31–13 Ireland A
• 22 February 2008: Scotland A 67–7 Ireland A
• 11 June 2008: Ireland A 46-9 USA
• 14 June 2008: England Saxons 34–12 Ireland A
• 21 June 2008: Argentina A 8-33 Ireland A
• 6 February 2009: Ireland A P-P England Saxons
• 13 February 2009: Ireland A 35-10 Scotland A
• 10 June 2009: Canada XV 19–30 Ireland A
• 14 June 2009: Ireland A 40-5 Georgia
• 21 June 2009: England Saxons 22-49 Ireland A
• 13 November 2009: Ireland A 48–19 Tonga XV
• 27 November 2009: Ireland A 31–0 Argentina Jaguars

2010s

• 31 January 2010: England Saxons 17–13 Ireland A
• 5 February 2010: Ireland Wolfhounds 34–19 Scotland A
• 28 January 2011: Scotland A 32–12 Ireland Wolfhounds
• 4 February 2011: Ireland Wolfhounds 20–11 England Saxons
• 28 January 2012: England Saxons 23-17 Ireland Wolfhounds
• 25 January 2013: Ireland Wolfhounds 10 - 14 England Saxons
• 25 January 2014: England Saxons 8 - 14 Ireland Wolfhounds
• 30 January 2015: Ireland Wolfhounds 9 - 18 England Saxons

Statistics

Overall

Against	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	% Won
Argentina Jaguars	2	2	0	0	64	8	100.00%
Australia A	1	0	0	1	17	24	0%
Bay of Plenty (New Zealand)	1	0	0	1	39	52	0%
Canada	2	2	0	0	65	30	100%
Canada XV	1	1	0	0	30	19	100%
England Saxons	21	7	0	14	447	569	33.33%
France A	9	2	1	6	193	270	22.22%
Georgia	1	1	0	0	40	5	100%
Italy A	5	5	0	0	259	52	100%
King Country (New Zealand)	1	0	0	1	26	32	0%
New Zealand	1	0	0	1	15	74	0%
New Zealand Māori	3	0	0	3	38	118	0%
New Zealand XV	1	0	0	1	30	43	0%
Northland (New Zealand)	1	0	0	1	16	69	0%
Samoa	1	0	0	1	25	57	0%
Scotland A	15	7	1	7	345	359	46.67%
South Africa A	1	1	0	0	28	25	100%
South Africa XV	2	1	1	0	47	30	50.00%
Thames Valley (New Zealand University)	1	1	0	0	38	12	100%
Tonga XV	1	1	0	0	48	19	100%
USA	2	2	0	0	74	22	100%
Wales A	9	4	0	5	236	253	44.44%
Total	82	37	3	42	2110	2142	45.12%

The above is a non-exhaustive list of the head-to-head record against opponents since only the early 1990s, and includes fixtures against non-national representative sides such as the New Zealand Maori, as well as some club teams. Given the irregularity of 'A' level fixtures (for example, the only annual fixture left for the Wolfhounds is the game a week before the RBS 6 Nations starts against England Saxons), it is difficult to track the progress of the 'A' teams. After a string of poor results, Wales A, for example, have not fielded a team in well over a decade, last taking to the field in 2002.

Some anomalies have occurred in match fixtures. One example is a hastily organised, more or less still amateur second-tier Irish Wolfhounds (then called "Ireland 'A'") taking the field against a near full-strength, fully professional, first tier New Zealand team in 1997, the same year that the latter went through the calendar year undefeated and achieved their first ever test series victory on world champions South Africa's soil. To compound matters, the fixture was also played in New Zealand territory, as part of a misguided Wolfhounds tour to the country. In the event, it was a miracle that the Wolfhounds only lost on a scoreline of 74-15. The Wolfhounds were soundly beaten on every match of this tour, including a 69-16 walloping at the hands of provincial side Northland (one level below Super Rugby).

Bizarrely, though, the Wolfhounds have a good record against traditionally stronger South African opponents. They have won their only match against their South African counterparts South Africa A by 3 points. Additionally, they have played two fixtures against South Africa XV ('XV' teams are above 'A' level but below full test level), drawing once and winning the other encounter by a surprisingly resounding 17 points.

Honours

• Churchill Cup
  • Winners: 1 (2009)

• Churchill Plate
  • Winners: 3 (2006, 2007, 2008)

See also

• Ireland national rugby union team
• Emerging Ireland
• Ireland national under-20 rugby union team
• Ireland national schoolboy rugby union team

External links

• Results & Fixtures - Ireland Wolfhounds