The

Ireland national rugby union team The Ireland national rugby union team is the men's representative national team for the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland competes in the annual Six Nations Champi ...

toured Japan in summer 1985, playing five matches, including two against the Japan national team. The IRFU did not initially award caps for these internationals. The

Ciaran Fitzgerald Ciaran Fitzgerald (born 4 June 1952) is an Irish former rugby union player. He captained Ireland to the Triple Crown in 1982 and 1985, and the Five Nations Championship in 1983. Fitzgerald also captained the Lions on their 1983 tour. After t ...

-led side earned a 48–13 victory in the first clash in Osaka, with winger Trevor Ringland scoring three tries. In the second tie at Tokyo's Chichibu ground, Michael Kiernan scored two tries as the Irish came from being level-pegging at 12–12 at half-time, to leading 33–15 with a second half spurt by the final whistle .

Matches

:''Scores and results list Ireland's points tally first.''

Touring party

Source: *Manager: Des McKibbin *Assistant Manager: Mick Doyle *Medical Officer: J. Gallagher *Captain:

( St Mary's College) Backs *P. Rainey (Ballymena) * H. MacNeill (Oxford U, London Irish) * T. Ringland (Ballymena) * K. Crossan (Instonians) * M. Kiernan (Lansdowne, Dolphin) * B. Mullin (Dublin U) * M. Finn (Cork Con) * T. McMaster (Bangor) * J. Hewitt (NIFC) joined tour as replacement * P. Dean (St Mary’s Coll) * R. Keyes (Cork Con) * M. Bradley (Cork Con) * R. Brady (Ballymena) Forwards * P. Kennedy (London Irish) * M. Fitzpatrick (Wanderers) * J. McCoy (Dungannon) * P. Orr (Old Wesley) * C. Fitzgerald (St Mary’s Coll) * Capt. H. Harbison (Bective Rangers) * B. McCall (London Irish) * W. Anderson (Dungannon) * D. Lenihan (Cork Con) * N. Carr (Ards) * P. Matthews (Ards) * B. Spillane (Bohemians) * P. Kenny (Wanderers) * P. Collins (Highfield)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1985 Ireland Rugby Union Tour Of Japan Ireland national rugby union team tours Ireland national rugby union team tours of Japan Ireland tour

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Ireland–Japan relations