Rugby League Ireland (RLI) is the internationally recognised governing body for the development of rugby league football in Ireland, 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. Prior to 2001 RLI was known as Ireland Rugby League. In 2024, the body was downgraded to affiliate member due to noncompliance with the full membership criteria.

Flag

The Irish rugby league team draws its players from across the Island of Ireland. At the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, the Ireland team entered the field of play at the beginning of their matches with the Four Provinces Flag of Ireland.

National team

The Ireland national rugby league team, known as the 'Wolfhounds', represents Ireland in

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

football. The team is organised by Rugby League Ireland. The representative team is dominated by players from the

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

and sometimes includes players from the Australasian National Rugby League. Ireland is also represented by Ireland A, an amateur side which is made up of players from the domestic Irish competition. Since Ireland began competing in international rugby league in 1995, it has participated in the 1995 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament, the 1996 Super League World Nines, and four Rugby League World Cups –

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. They have also competed in the Rugby League European Nations Cup and Victory Cup. Ireland A compete annually in the St Patrick's Day Challenge in the Amateur Four Nations.

Competitions

As of 2024 Rugby League Ireland run two domestic club competitions: * RLI Premiership (men's first tier) * RLI Women's premiership (women's first tier) The RLI Championship (men's second tier) is not currently in operation.

References

External links

* {{Sports governing bodies in Ireland Rugby league in Ireland

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Sports organizations established in 1988