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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did IQ Rugby go to therapy? It had a lot of "tackling" issues.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Irish Exiles)

Irish Exiles
UnionIrish Rugby Football Union
Founded1989
LeagueIRFU Interprovincial Championship
Official website
iqrugby.com

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]

History

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Early years

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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]

IRFU Interprovincial Championship

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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]

Current Squad

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IQ Rugby Squad - Ireland Provincial Tour 2026
Name Club
Albie Robinson United Arab Emirates JESS Dubai
Alexander Evans Ireland Clongowes Wood College
Ben Georgiou England Wellington College
Ben Morrissy England Solihull School
Ben McMahon England Trent College
Benjamin Patterson England St Joseph's College
Callum McGee Scotland Glenalmond College
Charles Shortall France Rugby Club Massey
Conor Mead England Abingdon School
Daniel Zimmern England Whitgift School
Elliot Young Wales Haberdashers Monmouth School
Eoghan Duncan Scotland Marr RFC
Fergus Millar England Ipswich School
Freddie Galitzine-Scott England Sedbergh School
George Ravenscroft England Henley College
Henry Tanner England Exeter College
Heryck Gallimore England Taunton School
Jack Moore Ireland Belvedere College
Jack Saxton England Taunton School
Michael Keenan England St Albans School
Ronan Perkins England Bedford Modern School
Rory Stacey England St Bede's Bristol
Seán Smyth England Dulwich College
Tom Ravenscroft England Berkhamsted School
Will Kenny Scotland Glenalmond College

Current Managments

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Ross Finlay (Team Manager), Frank Taggart (Head Coach), John Clarke (Assistant Coach), Jordan Annett (Assistant Coach), Nathan Briganti (Team Physio), Darragh Williams (Athletic Development Coach), Patrick Hennessy (Team Logistics), Kevin Maggs (IQ Rugby Talent Coach), Steve McGinnis (IQ Rugby Talent Coach) and Lindsey Wordley (IQ Rugby Administrator).

Interprovincial Championship Record (1992–1996)

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Against Played† Won Drawn Lost % Won For Aga Diff
Connacht Connacht4400100%12155+66
Leinster Leinster40040%6691–25
Munster Munster410325%60113–53
Ulster Ulster40040%35108–73
Total16501131.25%282367–85

†Matches were played as part of the Irish Interprovincial Rugby Championship.[note 1]
Correct as of 9 February 2021.

Academy

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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]

Women's team

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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]

Notable Current & former players

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British & Irish Lions British and Irish Lions
 Ireland internationals
Ireland Ireland A / XV / Wolfhounds internationals
Ireland Emerging Ireland internationals
 Ireland U20s Internationals
 Ireland sevens internationals
 Ireland women internationals
 Ireland women sevens internationals
 England internationals
England England Saxons
 France international
 Western Samoa international

Source:[5][17][18][19][20]

Notable former coaches

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Source:[5]

Similar teams

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[edit]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Table based results in the Irish rugby team history archive https://www.irishrugby.ie/irfu/history/archived-team-history/

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "IQ Rugby Registration". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  2. ↑ "Irish Rugby TV: David Nucifora And Joe Lydon On IQ Rugby". Irish Rugby. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "Provincial Tour Provides 'Important Opportunity' For IQ Rugby Squad". Irish Rugby (Press release). 20 July 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "A Short History of the Exiles". IRFU. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Gathering shamrock on foreign fields – How IRFU have become proactive about unearthing Ireland-qualified players". The Irish Independent. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "Historial Selecciones Euskadi" (PDF). euskadirugby.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Irish Rugby 1874–1999 – A History: Interprovincial Championship Results page 442". irishrugby.ie. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "Irish Rugby 1874–1999 – A History: Interprovincial Championship Results page 443". irishrugby.ie. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  10. ↑ "Irish Rugby 1874–1999 – A History: Interprovincial Championship Results page 444". irishrugby.ie. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "The 10 Best Connacht Players Ever To Play For Ireland". balls.ie. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "About the Exiles". irishrugby.ie. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Leinster v Irish Exiles – U18 Clubs Interprovincial Photos". sportsfile.com. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Leinster v Exiles – U18 Clubs Friendly Photos". sportsfile.com. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  15. ↑ "Ireland's Fifth Province". murraykinsella.wordpress.com. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "IRFU Exiles Screening Day". leinsterrugby.ie. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Ireland announce strong squad". wru.co.uk. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  18. 1 2 "Correction: Ireland Women's Team to Play England". sixnationsrugby.com. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  19. 1 2 "Leinster Women v Exiles – Challenge Match Photos". sportsfile.com. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  20. 1 2 "Leinster v Exiles – Women's Interprovincial Rugby Friendly Photos". sportsfile.com. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
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