The international governing body of rugby union (and associated games such as sevens) is the International Rugby Board (IRB). The IRB headquarters are located in Dublin, Ireland.
Six continental associations, which are members of the IRB form the next level of administration; these are:
Confederation of African Rugby (CAR)
Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU)
North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA)
Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur – Association Européenne de Rugby (FIRA-AER)
Federation of Oceania Rugby Unions (FORU)
Confederación Sudamericana de Rugby (South American Rugby Confederation) (CONSUR)
SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby) is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, which operates the Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions.
National unions oversee rugby union within individual countries. These are affiliated both to the IRB and with their respective regional association.
