The Irish RU team is a combined Irish team

Shows how little I know (and are interested in) RU, but with their head quarters in Dublin and home games played at landsdown road I made the assumption that they were Eire RU, what with their current TV deal being the RTE an Eire broadcaster, this also made me think they were an Eire team, is there any players in the current squad from Northern Ireland and is RU played anywhere in NI?
BTW I still stand by my comment the IRFU is an Eire organisation based in Dublin (Eire) which is not part of Great Britain

I probably wasn't clear enough - The Irish RU represents NI as well asnt the ROI. The team plays under the "four provinces" flag, rather than the Irish tricolour, although for games at Dublin they do wave the tricolour and play Amhrán na bhFiann alongside Ireland's Call.

The IRFU also owns Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast and although IIRC it has been a while since the last one, they do play games there.

"The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) (Irish: Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland)."

Ulster Rugby (Irish: Rugbaí Uladh) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Pro14 and the European Rugby Champions Cup.

I asked the question as I genuinely didn't know (or care really as it's RU and I have no interest in that game) a little time on Google has clarified what you and and a couple of other posters have said, and although yes the IRFU represents all the provinces of the island of Ireland, the international game is quite clearly an Eire product hence their current deal with RTE, but I accept that they do represent Northern Ireland

Couldn't give a toss which rugby union country they show, I won't be watching.

Considering channel 4 is a commercially-funded network they can show what they want. The idea that they should be supporting UK sport over Irish is ridiculous. Anyone who thinks they should be supporting the Championship over Irish international games over some loyalty to the UK is crazy. The network is a business that needs to make money and is not a charity.

No...you're fishing!
If you have no interest, then why ask?

Great move by the IRFU. In 2013, the Ireland v All Blacks game on the Sunday drew a larger TV audience than the day's prior Epic RLWC semi-final between England and the Kiwis and they must genuinely believe that whatever they have paid for this (and the European club rugby comp) they will get back in advertising revenues...........and as other have said, instead of faux outrage, we should be asking why we are not pressing hard for more FTA coverage.

This is a nonsense. C4 should be broadcasting what is best for C4. Whether thats the Irish Rugby Union side or a bunch of guys running around in outer Mongolia.

The idea that they are duty bound to broadcast something 'British' is absurd.

Indeed......their biggest program of the week August 21-28th was the Belgium GP.......sooner we leave the EU the better



EDIT: Is this a cunning plan by World Rugby to strangle the Dublin Blues at birth

What kind of viewing figures do you think a Championship RL game would get on sky compared to a Championship RU game?

Why do sky show Championship RU but not Championship RL, even though they have the tv rights.