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And, of course, the Ireland rugby team picks players from both the Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland.
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That's a citizenship thing though right? The Republic is of the opinion that everybody on Ireland† is a citizen of the Republic. If my mother had happened to be in Portavogie when she gave birth to me last century, my understanding is that the RoI considers I am automatically a citizen, because I was born on "their" island even if certainly Portavogie is not under their control.

† The exact rules are complicated, but they don't depend on where on the island you were born or stuff like that.

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I don't think so. My understanding was "confirmed" by ChatGPT, though I haven't looked at the sources.

> Rugby in Ireland is governed by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), which was established in 1879, decades before Ireland was partitioned in 1921. It has always organised rugby on an all-Ireland basis.

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>and likewise England play international rugby, including against Wales and Scotland.

Except when they play as part of the British & Irish Lions!

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