Ireland open up World Cup training sessions to supporters

Ireland will hold a number of training sessions that will be open to the public based on a ticketing scheme as they travel around the country over the next couple of months.

For the most part they will be in their usual base of Carton House in Co Kildare but on Tuesday, July 14th, those who secure their tickets can watch the Ireland squad train at the Sportsground in Galway. This will be followed by another open session in Cork on Wednesday, July 29th.

There will be a final opportunity at the RDS on Tuesday, September 8th, when the 31-man World Cup squad will be present. The IRFU are currently working with the Connacht and Munster branches and Ticketmaster to confirm the details of how supporters can access the sessions. An announcement will be made in the next few days.

Preparation

Ireland will play four warm-up matches in August and early September as preparation for the World Cup.

Joe Schmidt’s charges will head for the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, August 8th (2.30pm), to take on Wales before hosting Scotland at the Aviva Stadium the following Saturday, August 15th (5pm).

Wales travel to Dublin for a game on Saturday, August 29th (2.30pm). The following week the plan is to announce the 31-man Ireland squad for the World Cup in the build-up to the final warm-up game against England at Twickenham on Saturday, September 5th (2.30pm).

All teams must submit their squads to the tournament organisers, Rugby World Cup Ltd, ahead of the deadline of Sunday, September 6th, coincidentally the date of the All-Ireland hurling final.

Ireland’s opening game of the Rugby World Cup is against Canada at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, September 19th (2.30pm).

Ireland then play Romania at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, September 27th (4.45pm), Italy in the Olympic Stadium in London on Sunday, October 4th (4.45pm), before concluding their pool fixtures against France on Sunday, October 11th, at the Millennium Stadium (4.45pm).

Tickets for Ireland’s World Cup warm-up matches against Wales and Scotland are available from ticketmaster.ie.