International rules football
International rules football is a
hybrid code of football which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between
Australian rules footballers and
Gaelic footballers.
The first games played were Test matches between Australia and a touring
Meath Gaelic Football team which took place in late 1967, after Meath had won that year's
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Following intermittent international tests between Australia and an all-Ireland team, the International Rules Series has been played annually since 1998.
Encyclopedia
International rules football is a
hybrid code of football which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between
Australian rules footballers and
Gaelic footballers.
The first games played were Test matches between Australia and a touring
Meath Gaelic Football team which took place in late 1967, after Meath had won that year's
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Following intermittent international tests between Australia and an all-Ireland team, the International Rules Series has been played annually since 1998.
It is one of few sports or football codes in the world without any dedicated leagues, and is currently played only in tournaments or once-off Test matches.
Compromise Rules
The rules are designed to provide a compromise between those of the two codes, with Gaelic footballers being advantaged by the use of a round ball and a rectangular field , while the Australian rules football players benefit from the opportunity to tackle between the shoulders and thighs, something banned in Gaelic football. The game uses two large posts and two small posts, as in Australian rules, and a
crossbar and goal net as in Gaelic football. This is similar to the format used for both Gaelic football and
Hurling until about 100 years ago. Points are scored as follows:
- in the goal net : 6 points,
- over the crossbar and between the two large posts : 3 points,
- between a large post and a small post :1 point.
Scores are written so as to clarify how many of each type of score were made as well as, like Australian football, giving the total points score for each team ; for example, if a team scores one goal, four overs and 10 points, the score is written as 1-4-10 - meaning one goal plus 4 overs plus 10 points, for a total score of 28 points.
An International Rules match lasts for eighty minutes . In contrast, Gaelic football matches go for 70 minutes, and Australian rules matches typically go for 85 minutes.
As in Gaelic football, teams consist of fifteen players, including a
goalkeeper, whereas eighteen are used in Australian rules .
Rule changes
The following rule changes have being implemented as from the 2006 series:
- Each quarter will be reduced from 20 minutes to 17:30.
- A player who receives a red card will be sent off and no replacement will be allowed. In addition to this a penalty is awarded regardless of where the incident takes place. Previously a replacement was allowed and a penalty was only awarded if the incident happened in the penalty area.
- A yellow card will now mean a 15 minute sin bin for the offending player who will be sent off if he receives a second card.
Australia vs Ireland
The Irish team is selected by the
Gaelic Athletic Association and the Australian team is selected by the
Australian Football League.
The senior International Rules Series is played each October, after the completion of the
Australian Football League Grand Final and
All-Ireland Football Final which are both played on the last weekend of September. The series alternates host countries each year between Ireland and Australia. Since the resumption of the senior international series in 1998, the average crowd has been 47,000, Ireland has won seven matches, Australia has won five with a further two being drawn.
In 2004, the Series trophy was renamed the Cormac McAnallen Cup, after a
Tyrone Gaelic Footballer who died in 2004 from a
heart condition. He also represented
Ireland at this level in 2002.
It is currently sponsored by
Foster's Group and run by the AFL and the GAA.
The best player in the Australian side each year is awarded the Jim Stynes Medal.
Australia vs Ireland Test Senior Results
Australia is the current holder of the Cormac McAnallen Cup, after winning the
2005 Series in a clean sweep and with an aggregate margin of 57 points. The series took place in
Australia, with tests played at
Subiaco Oval in
Perth and the
Telstra Dome in
Melbourne . Peter MacGrath's Ireland team went into the game as heavy favourites, however Australian coach Kevin Sheedy's policy to handpick fast running players more suited to the hybrid game rather than use the All Australian Team proved a winning move.
Results of International Rules Series since 1998The series is currently tied, Australia 10 wins Ireland 10 wins| Year | Host Country | First Test | Stadium/Location | Crowd | Second Test | Stadium/Location | Crowd | Aggregate Margin | Series Winner |
| 2005 | Australia | AU 2.27.7 def. IE 3.11.13 | Subiaco Oval, Perth | 39,098 | AU 0.18.9 def. IE 0.11.9 | Telstra Dome, Melbourne | 45,428 | AU:163; IE:106 | Australia |
| 2004 | Ireland | IE 3.17.8 def. AU 1.9.8 | Croke Park, Dublin | 46,370 | IE 1.15.4 def. AU 0.12.5 | Croke Park, Dublin | 60,515 | IE:132; AU:82 | Ireland |
| 2003 | Australia | AU 3.10.8 def. IE 1.10.10 | Subiaco Oval, Perth | 41,228 | IE 2.9.9 def. AU 1.10.9 | MCG, Melbourne | 60,235 | AU:101; IE:94 | Australia |
| 2002 | Ireland | AU 2.13.8 def. IE 1.13.8 | Croke Park, Dublin | 44,421 | IE 1.8.12 drew. AU 1.11.3 | Croke Park, Dublin | 71,532 | AU:101; IE:95 | Australia |
| 2001 | Australia | IE 2.13.8 def. AU 1.13.8 | MCG, Melbourne | 48,121 | IE 2.17.8 def. AU 1.13.7 | Football Park, Adelaide | 31,713 | IE:130; AU:105 | Ireland |
| 2000 | Ireland | AU 0.14.13 def. IE 1.11.8 | Croke Park, Dublin | 38,000 | AU 2.15.11 def. IE 1.12.9 | Croke Park, Dublin | 57,289 | AU:123; IE:98 | Australia |
| 1999 | Australia | IE 2.16.10 def. AU 0.15.17 | MCG, Melbourne | 64,326 | AU 2.12.4 drew. IE 1.11.13 | Football Park, Adelaide | 45,187 | IE:123; AU:114 | Ireland |
| 1998 | Ireland | AU 2.3.11 def. IE 2.3.10 | Croke Park, Dublin | 22,000 | IE 4.12.7 def. AU 2.10.14 | Croke Park, Dublin | 35,000 | IE:128; AU:114 | Ireland |
>
Earlier Tests | Year | Host Country | Results | Stadium | Location | Crowd |
| Nov. 17 1990 | Australia | Australia 50 d. Ireland 44 | WACA | Perth | 7,700 |
| Nov. 10 1990 | Australia | Ireland 52 d. Australia 31 | Canberra Stadium | Canberra | 7,000 |
| Nov. 2 1990 | Australia | Ireland 47 d. Australia 38 | Waverley Park | Melbourne | 18,332 |
| Nov. 1 1987 | Ireland | Australia 59 d. Ireland 55 | Croke Park | Dublin | 27,023 |
| Oct. 25 1987 | Ireland | Australia 72 d. Ireland 47 | Croke Park | Dublin | 15,485 |
| Oct. 18 1987 | Ireland | Ireland 53 d. Australia 51 | Croke Park | Dublin | 15,532 |
| Oct. 24 1986 | Australia | Ireland 55 d. Australia 32 | Football Park | Adelaide | 10,000 |
| Oct. 19 1986 | Australia | Ireland 62 d. Australia 46 | Waverley Park | Melbourne | 10,883 |
| Oct. 10 1986 | Australia | Australia 64 d. Ireland 57 | WACA | Perth | 24,000 |
| Oct. 28 1984 | Ireland | Australia 76 d. Ireland 71 | Croke Park | Dublin | 32,318 |
| Oct. 28 1984 | Ireland | Ireland 80 d. Australia 76 | Croke Park | Dublin | 12,500 |
| Oct. 21 1984 | Ireland | Australia 70 d. Ireland 57 | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | Cork | 8,000 |
|
All-time standings
| Country | Series won | Test matches won 1 |
|---|
| Australia | 6 | 13 |
| Ireland | 6 | 13 |
1 Two draws .
Future of the International Rules Series
The future of the series was brought into doubt through the onfield actions of Australian co-captain Chris Johnson, with high contact against at least 3 Irish players. Many Australians raised the argument that the actions of Johnson and other players such as Trent Croad was in response to low contact by the Irish players unaccustomed to tackling. As Johnson's penalties only applied to future International tests and not AFL home and away matches, the AFL and GAA were forced to negotiate suitable penalties for similar future indiscretions. The harsh reaction of the Irish media and calls amongst various officials threatened to cancel the series.
In 2006, following the Under 19 series, the GAA raised the possibility of making it a biennial event to reduce cost of travel.
Also in 2006, the AFL's international development department, with interests in the development of South African talent, announced its intentions to include
South Africa as part of an international tri-series in 2010.
Under 17s and Under 19s
In 2005, in addition to the annual senior international series, Australia and Ireland began to play an under-19 and under-17 contest.
Australia won the 2006 series.
The junior series was largely instituted by both leagues as a means to identify emerging talent.
An exhibition match between an
Indigenous Australian touring side composed of players from the Clontarf Foundation and led by
Sydney's
Adam Goodes against South African youth teams was held at Potchefstroom in 2006.
International Rules Football around the world
International Rules is played in various locations throughout
North America and the
Caribbean,
Europe and
Asia,
Australia and
New Zealand between fledgling Australian rules football and Gaelic Football clubs.
Ladies/Women's International Rules
Ladies Gaelic football has been growing almost exponentially in Ireland since the 1970s with over 100,000 women and girls playing in 2006 and figures expected to reach 150,000 by 2010.
Women's Footy has far fewer players, but numbers have grown strongly since the 1990s. In early 2006 representatives of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association of Ireland and Women's Australian Football Leagues met at a Ladies Gaelic football festival in Singapore and agreed to compete in the hybrid version of the two football codes.
See also
External links
- .
- . - catalogues some of the scores of games in this new code around the world.
- .
- .
- . Viewing information for Australia v Ireland International Rules Tests when series is on in October/November.
