Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry extend support to their country in Ireland vs South Africa Rugby World Cup match

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are obviously united by golf, but their mutual identification goes beyond that. They also share a passion for rugby and are staunch supporters of the same national team.

On Saturday, the Irish rugby team took on South Africa in the second match of the World Cup in France. Among the more than 78,000 spectators who filled the Estade de France were Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy, both of whom supported Ireland.

Several pictures published on social networks showed Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry enjoying the match. They could also be seen participating in some of the broadcasts of the event.

Naturally, the media did not miss the opportunity to get the statements of both golf stars. Rory McIlroy compared a possible Irish victory in the World Cup with the Major won by Shane Lowry in 2019.

This is what Mcllroy said, according to Golf Monthly:

"I think the last thing that has happened in Ireland that would be as big as winning the World Cup is Shane winning the Open Championship at Portrush in 2019! I don’t think there would be anything like it in the history of Ireland. If they were to get there, it would be a monumental achievement. Chances like this don’t come around very often."

He added:

“This whole tournament we have been watching from afar, but to actually be here and see the support this team has is amazing. Hopefully that support can carry them all the way in this tournament. I think they have all the tools at their disposal, but the quarter final of the World Cup has been Ireland’s Achilles heel."

Shane Lowry, meanwhile, echoed the sentiments about what an Irish victory in the event would mean:

"In Ireland, we all want them to win and all want them to go the whole way. I think this team has a chance to do something that will be remembered forever. Ireland might never have the chance like this to win a World Cup again. This team has that chance and it’s exciting for the whole country. It’s going to be an amazing few weeks and hopefully it can be a successful one.”

Ireland defeated South Africa 13-8 in a pulsating match. The Springboks threw everything they had at the game in the second half, but the Irish defense was strong enough to hold on to the lead and survive the challenge.

With this win, Ireland took a solid step towards qualifying for the Round of 16 with their second win (they defeated Tonga earlier in the day). In fact, the Irish are looking to make it past the last eight, which would be their best result ever.

Why are Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy supporting the same rugby team?

Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy were both born on the island of Ireland, but while the former is from the Republic of Ireland, the latter is from Northern Ireland. So why do they support the same rugby team?

The Irish national rugby team represents the island of Ireland, i.e. it does not distinguish between the two sides of the border, which was established in 1920. Therefore, the Irish and Northern Irish share, among other things, their rugby team.

The team was founded in 1875. It has participated in 10 Rugby World Cups and finished in the top eight seven times. It is currently ranked number one in the world.