| Union | Irish Rugby Football Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| League | IRFU Interprovincial Championship |
| Official website | |
| iqrugby | |
IQ Rugby is a programme within the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to support rugby union players within the Irish diaspora, especially in Great Britain. [1] It was established in 2017 within the high performance pathway for identifying promising young players, as a successor to the Irish Exiles programme begun in 1989. [1] [2] The name IQ stands for "Irish Qualified", meaning qualified under international rugby union eligibility rules to play for Ireland teams, including the men's, women's, men's sevens, and women's sevens. [1]
In the 1990s, an Irish Exiles representative team played in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship against the four domestic provincial selections (Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connacht). This ended after professionalisation, when the four domestic provinces became full-time professional teams rather than selections from amateur club sides. Exiles teams at underage level continued to play against the provinces and others into the 2010s; [3] an under-19 IQ Rugby Team tours Ireland annually playing under-19 provincial teams. [4]
The Irish Exiles organisation was originally established as an IRFU subcommittee by Tom Kiernan in 1989 following a meeting in London. The aim of the Irish Exiles was to give Irish diaspora players wishing to represent the Ireland national rugby union team the opportunity to play for a representative team. The Irish Exiles subsequently became a formal sub-committee of the Irish Rugby Football Union. Kiernan became the first chairman of the Exiles organisation. His successors included Barry O'Driscoll. The Exiles would eventually become a full branch of the IRFU. [5] [6]
In addition to establishing a senior representative team, the Exiles also established under 21 and student teams. During their first two seasons the Exiles played friendlies against Ulster at Ravenhill and a Welsh Exiles XV. The first senior XV coach was Ken Kennedy. An under 21/student team also played the Ireland U21s at the London Irish ground in Sunbury-on-Thames. During the 1992–93 season an Irish Exiles XV also played an away friendly against the Basque Country national rugby union team. [5] [7]
Between 1992 and 1993 and 1995–96 the Irish Exiles entered the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. [8] [9] [10] Before this Irish diaspora players, including Jim Staples, Simon Geoghegan and John O'Driscoll were usually invited to represent Connacht in the championship. [11] Staples and Geoghegan subsequently represented the Exiles and O'Driscoll coached the team. Other Ireland internationals to represent the Exiles in the championship included David Curtis, Gary Halpin and Rob Saunders. Mat Keenan, a Western Samoa international also played for the Exiles in the competition. [5]
| Against | Played† | Won | Drawn | Lost | % Won | For | Aga | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Connacht | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 121 | 55 | +66 |
 Leinster | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% | 66 | 91 | –25 |
 Munster | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25% | 60 | 113 | –53 |
 Ulster | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% | 35 | 108 | –73 |
| Total | 16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 31.25% | 282 | 367 | –85 |
†Matches were played as part of the Irish Interprovincial Rugby Championship. [note 1]
Correct as of 9 February 2021.
The Irish Exiles operates as a scouting and recruitment programme for Irish diaspora players interested in playing for the Ireland national rugby union team, the Ireland women's national rugby union team, the Ireland national rugby sevens team and the Ireland women's national rugby sevens team. [5] [12] [13] [14] In addition to producing nearly thirty Ireland men's internationals, the Exiles programme has also produced three British and Irish Lions – Simon Easterby, Rob Henderson and Nick Popplewell. A number of Irish Exiles players have "slipped through the net" and have subsequently gone on to play for the England national rugby union team. These include Kieran Brookes, Paul Doran-Jones and Shane Geraghty. [5] [15] Recent graduates of the programme include Rhys Ruddock and Kieran Marmion. [16]
The Irish Exiles also field a women's rugby union team. A number of prominent members of the Ireland women's national rugby union team have progressed through the Exiles programme. These include Sophie Spence and Claire Molloy, Kerrie-Ann Craddock, Leigh Dargan [5] [17] [18] [19] [20]
British and Irish Lions 
Ireland internationals Ireland A internationals Ireland sevens internationals Ireland women internationals
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Ireland women sevens internationals
England internationals
Western Samoa internationalSource: [5]