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Ireland rugby union team: Fixtures, squad, key players, head coach and kit

Three-time Grand Slam winners Ireland go in search of a third consecutive Six Nations triumph and 16th overall title at this season's Championship.

Despite being perennial Rugby World Cup underperformers, having still never made it past the quarter-finals stage, Ireland have made a habit of being excellent in Six Nations Championships.

Since its six team conception, Ireland have only finished outside the top three on two occasions, and in the last 10 years no team has won as many titles as the Irish's five.

They are also the only side to have won more than one Grand Slam in the same period. This Irish era has been one of unrivalled success in European competition.

Never has the Six Nations Championship been won three times in a row. Many have tried and many have failed. Even recently, with Wales, England and Ireland all having won back-to-back titles since 2012.

Despite this, the illustrious three times in a row still evades teams. Could Ireland be the first to achieve it?

Rugby Union

Ireland rugby union fixtures

Six Nations 2025:

  • Saturday 1st February 2025: Ireland v England, Aviva Stadium (16:45 GMT).
  • Sunday 9th February 2025: Scotland v Ireland, Murrayfield Stadium (15:00 GMT)
  • Saturday 22nd February 2025: Wales v Ireland, Principality Stadium (14:15 GMT)
  • Saturday 8th March 2025: Ireland v France, Aviva Stadium (14:15 GMT)
  • Saturday 15th March 2025: Italy v Ireland, Stadio Olimpico (14:15 GMT)

Ireland rugby union squad

Squad list

Forwards:

Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Jack Boyle (Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster, captain), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Gus McCarthy (Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), James Ryan (Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster).

Backs:

Bundee Aki (Connacht), Caolin Blade (Connacht), Jack Crowley (Munster), Ciaran Frawley (Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Mack Hansen (Connacht), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Hugo Keenan (Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Calvin Nash (Munster), Jimmy O'Brien (Leinster), Jamie Osborne (Leinster), Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster).

Six Nations 2025 squad lists for every team

Key players

James Lowe

While Duhan van der Merwe gets all the headlines, there's another star residency-qualified winger who has consistently tore the Six Nations apart.

Enter former Māori All Black winger, James Lowe.

A skillset befitting of any full New Zealand international, raw pace, agility, aerial prowess and surprising strength, James Lowe has everything you could wish for from a wing.

In 2017, after surprisingly failing to get a look in with the All Blacks, despite scoring 45 tries in his native New Zealand, James Lowe signed for Irish Province Leinster with the intention of playing for their international side.

In 2020, after completing the mandatory three year residency period, James Lowe made his debut for Ireland and has since emerged as one of the most exciting players in international rugby.

Bundee Aki

You can't mention James Lowe or Duhan van der Merwe, when talking about residency, without mentioning the Northern Hemisphere pioneer of the topic.

The now 34 year old Irish legend was once tipped to be the next Ma'a Nonu for the All Blacks, instead, he has been one of Ireland's great centres in their history.

Eligible for New Zealand through birth and Samoa through his parents, Bundee Aki decided to make the tough choice to move to the Northern Hemisphere to further his career.

Joining Connacht in 2014, Bundee Aki became available for Ireland selection in 2017, making his debut in a 38-3 win over South Africa in November.

Since then, Aki has gone on to play 80 times for Ireland, scoring 18 tries and showing himself to be one of the best players in the world in his position.

Caelan Doris

A four-time Pro-14/URC, two-time Six Nations, one-time Grand Slam, two-time World Rugby Men's 15s Dream Team of the Year winner and 2024 World Player of the Year nominee at the age of 26, Caelan Doris has the world at his feet.

An Ireland age grade star and Leinster one club man, Doris has made 47 appearances for Ireland since his debut in 2020 and has cemented himself as one of the best players, let alone number eights, in world rugby.

Doris was named as official Ireland captain in October 2024, having captained the side for the first time in a Six Nations match against Italy in February of that year.

Ireland will be looking for their skipper to lead their Six Nations charge from the front as they look for the historic back-to-back-to-back titles.

Ireland rugby union head coach

Simon Easterby (Interim)

With a British and Irish Lions tour of a resurgent Australia looming in the summer, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has taken a sabbatical year from his usual role.

In his place for this tournament is interim head coach Simon Easterby.

A Scarlets legend, with 65 caps for Ireland and two for the British and Irish Lions, Easterby knows his way around international rugby and the Six Nations.

He has been coaching with Ireland since 2014 when he joined from Scarlets and was Forwards coach before switching to defence coach in 2021.

Ireland rugby union kit

The Ireland national rugby union team traditionally wear an all green home kit.

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