International Rugby Board
IRB
The International Rugby Board (IRB) was founded in 1886. With its headquarters in Dublin, the IRB is the world governing and Law making body for the Game of Rugby Union.
The day to day business of the Board is conducted by a professional staff of over 50, the majority of whom are based in Dublin. Personnel employed around the world include Regional Development Managers, High Performance Managers and Regional General Managers working in Europe, Asia, Africa, The Americas and Oceania.
The IRB Council, under the Chairmanship of Bernard Lapasset, meets twice a year. It consists of the eight foundations Unions each with two seats - Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France. Argentina, Canada, Italy and Japan each have one seat on the Council as do all the Regional Associations.
There are a number of tournaments under IRB control, including the Women's Rugby World Cup, Rugby World Cup Sevens, IRB Sevens, IRB Junior World Championship, IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy and IRB Nations Cup. The principal IRB property is, however, Rugby World Cup.