Ian Mallon: Why World Cups don’t matter to Irish rugby’s surging $150m brand value

This time, even the PGA isn't blind to Rory McIlroy's influence and Croke Park looks long odds still for Katie Taylor.

VALUE SURGING: IRFU chief executive officer Kevin Potts during an Ireland rugby media conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Irish rugby is now the world’s fastest growing brand among all Union nations, more than doubling in value from $77.7m to $150.4m in the four years between Japan 2019 and France 2023.

The IRFU sits at an all-time high of fourth in the sport’s overall most valuable table, and perhaps most interestingly is two places ahead of world champions South Africa.