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International Rules football is a hybrid sport developed in the 1980s as a mixture of Australian Rules Football and Gaelic Football . It was created in order to facilitate international matches between the representative teams of the Australian Football League and the Gaelic Athletic Association , which have been played annually since 1998 but date back in various forms to 1967. It is sometimes known as "'''Inter Rules'''" for short, it also used to be known as "''Compromise'' rules." COMPROMISE RULES The rules are designed to provide a compromise between those of the two codes, with the Irish being advantaged by the use of a round ball and a rectangular field (Australian rules uses an oval ball and field), while the Australians benefit from the opportunity to tackle between the shoulders and thighs, something banned in Gaelic football. The game uses two large posts and two small posts, as in Australian rules, and a goal net as in Gaelic football. This was indeed the format the GAA used for both Gaelic codes over 100 years ago. Points are scored as follows:
An International Rules match lasts for eighty minutes (divided into four quarters of twenty minutes each), the same duration as an Australian rules match but ten minutes longer than a Gaelic football one. Teams consist of fifteen players, just as in Gaelic football (eighteen are used in Australian rules). AUSTRALIA VS IRELAND Senior International Rules games are played each October, after the completion of the Australian Football League Grand Final and All-Ireland Football Final which are both played on the last weekend of September. The series alternates host countries each year between Ireland and Australia. Since the resumption of the senior international series in 1998, the average crowd has been 47,000, Ireland has won seven matches, Australia has won five with a further two being drawn. In 2004, the Series trophy was renamed the Cormac McAnallen Cup , after a Tyrone Gaelic Footballer who died in 2004 from a Heart condition. He also represented Ireland at this level in 2002. Australia vs Ireland Test Results Australia is the current holder of the Cormac McAnallen Cup, after winning the 2005 Series in a clean sweep and with an aggregate margin of 57 points. The series took place in Australia , with tests played at Subiaco Oval in Perth (on October 21 ) and the Telstra Dome in Melbourne (on October 28 ). Peter MacGrath 's Ireland team went into the game as heavy favourites, however Australian coach Kevin Sheedy 's policy to handpick fast running players more suited to the hybrid game rather than use the All Australian Team proved a winning move. Future of the Series The future of the series was brought into doubt through the onfield actions of Australian co-captain Chris Johnson , with high contact against at least 3 Irish players. Many Australian raised the argument that the actions of Johnson and other players such as Trent Croad was in response to low contact by the Irish players unaccustomed to tackling. As Johnson's penalties only applied to future International tests and not AFL home and away matches, the AFL and GAA were forced to negotiate suitable penalties for similar future discretions. The harsh reaction of the Irish media and calls amongst various officials threatened to cancel the series. In 2006, following the Under 19 series, the GAA raised the possibility of making it a biennial to reduce cost of travel. INTERNATIONAL RULES FOOTBALL AROUND THE WORLD In addition to the annual senior international series, Australia and Ireland play an under-17 contest (Australia won this series in 2006 {Link without Title} ). International Rules is played in various locations throughout North America and the Caribbean , Europe and Asia , Australia and New Zealand between fledgling Australian Rules Football and Gaelic Football clubs. In 2006, the AFL international development, seeing the potential of the hybrid code as a breeder for players, announced its intentions to include South Africa as part of an international tri-series in 2010 and played an exhibition match between an Indigenous Australian and South African youth teams at Potchefstroom , South Africa in 2006. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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