A brief overview of the tournaments both the international side and the provinces take part in.

Six Nations
Type: International
Played: Annually, usually in February and March
Teams taking part: Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy
The prize at stake: The title of "Six Nations Champions", alongside the Grand Slam and (for the home nations) Triple Crown
How It Works: The Six Nations is played in a round of five matches for each nation, some games are home and some are away. The home/away structure is based on where you played that nation before, for example - in 2003, Ireland played England at Lansdowne Road so in 2004 they will travel to England's home ground Twickenham, in 2005 England are back at Lansdowne Road and so on and so forth. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss.
The main aim is to win the Grand Slam, where your nation beats the other five. Ireland haven't achieved this in 40 years. Along with the prestigious Grand Slam comes the championship, and the right to be the "kings" of the Northern Hemisphere. In the past ten years, England and France are the only teams to have won the slam. The Triple Crown, though not awarded as a trophy, is played between the home nations. To win the Triple Crown, Ireland have to beat Wales, Scotland and England. The same goes for the other nations - beating the other 3 in the UK basically.
The prize that no one wants is the Wooden Spoon, which in 2003 was Wales' prize. The Wooden Spoon is another term for "whitewash", when you don't win any of your matches and finish the tournament on the infamous "nil points".
If you wish to buy tickets for any of the 2004 Six Nations games, you can do so on the Six Nations website 6nations.co.uk by following this link. Ireland's 2004 fixtures for the Six Nations can be found on the "Fixture 03/04" menu link.

The World Cup
Type: International
Played: Every four years
Teams taking part: Qualification is guarenteed by progressing to the quarter-finals of the previous World Cup. Other places are played out in a set of qualifying matches, which Ireland had to endure to secure a place in the 2003 competition in Australia.
The prize at stake: The William Web Ellis trophy - and the title of World Champions!
How It Works: Pools of four play a round of matches. The winners of each pool and the highest scoring 2nd placed teams qualify for the knock-out stages. The four winners of the quarter-finals then progress onto the semi-finals. The winners of the semis go on to play in the final for the right to be World champions. A simple cup competition. At the moment, no Northern Hemisphere side has ever won the top prize since the World Cup started in 1987. South Africa have won twice, New Zealand and Australia once. Of all the Northern hemispehre, England are the only side to come close, reaching the 1991 final only to fall to eventual winners Australia. Ireland have yet to progress to the semi-final stages, and made an humiliating exit from the 1999 World Cup in not reaching the quarters, meaning they had to play matches against Russia and Georgia to ensure their inclusion for the next stage.
The next World Cup will be in October and November 2003, held in Australia. Many companies run "follow Ireland" tours where you attend all of Ireland's group matches, though they are expensive. If you're interested, I highly recommend Sweet Chariot, as not only are they the most affordable around but I had a good experience with them when I attended Ireland vs. England in 2003. Otherwise, all matches should be televised though because of time zones it might mean pulling a few morning sickies at work! The final will be on November 22nd. To find out Ireland's fixtures in the forthcoming World Cup, use the side menu bar link to "Fixtures 03/04".

The Heineken Cup
Type: Provincial
Played: Every season. First stages in October, second in December, third in January. The quarter and semi finals are in April, whilst the final is in May.
Teams taking part: Qualification for the Heineken Cup is always being mixed around, but Leinster, Munster and Ulster all automatically qualify every year. Winning the Parker Pen Shield (the second tier of Europe) is another way to qualify, as is winning the Heineken Cup the previous season.
The prize at stake: The "ultimate" in club/provinicial rugby in the Northern Hemisphere, winning the Heineken is a big coup.
How It Works: As with the World Cup, a simple set of pool matches that lead to extremely confusing qualification for the final eight, who participate in the quarter finals. By winning your pool, you ensure home advantage for your quarter final. The semi-finals are played on neutral ground. The final is played at one of Europe's top stadiums, such as Twickenham or the Millennium Stadium. The 2003 Heineken Cup final was held at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, when Toulouse beat fellow Frenchies Perpigan to claim the crown for a second time. The Leicester Tigers are the only team to have won the championship back-to-back (2000/01 and 2001/02) and along with Toulouse are the only side to have won the trophy twice since the tournament began in 1996.
Of the Irish provinces, Ulster are the only team to have won the Heineken Cup in the 1998/1999 season, defeating Colomiers at Lansdowne Road 21-6. Despite that, Munster have had the better run in the Heineken Cup - twice making the final and always progressing from their pool. Leinster made the semi-finals in 2003, only to lose to eventual beaten finalists Perpignan. Munster also made the semis in 2003, but lost to eventual victors Toulouse in France. Munster have been twice-beaten finalists, in 2000 to Northampton (9-8 in Northamptons' favour) and to twice-winners Leicester Tigers in 2002 (15-9 in favour of Leicester). In 2003, Ulster failed to qualify from their group.
Connacht take part in the "second tier" of European rugby, the Parker Pen Challenge Cup.

The Celtic League
Type: Provincial
Played: Every season
Teams taking part: Provincial/club teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. All four Irish provinces take part.
How It Works: The 16 teams are split into two groups of eight. The teams in either group on play each other once, before the top four from each pool progress to the quarter-finals, the semi finals before the final which is played at a neutral venue within either Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For Scotland and Wales, Heineken Cup qualification depends on their placings in the Celtic League - so they have something to play for. The Celtic League is a relatively new introduction and has yet to attract a sponsor or huge crowds, though it is thought that now Heineken Cup qualification rests on it for some teams, it will take more importance. Both Leinster and Munster have won the Celtic League in the past. Fixtures for the 2003/2004 Celtic League can be found in "Fixtures 03/04" on the main menu bar.

With thanks:
Six Nations Official
Six Nations.co.uk
ERC Rugby.

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