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The Home Nations is a name to collectively describe the four nations of the United Kingdom: the countries of England, Scotland and Wales, and the province of Northern Ireland. The term collectively refers to the four nations in situations where each is represented separately. The term is rarely used outside the UK, though it is used to describe half the members of the International Football Association Board.
Sometimes the term is used to include all the self-governing nations of the British Isles (thus including the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands, or grouping Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland simply as Ireland), but this usage is considered incorrect by some and is generally archaic unless one is referring to its usage in rugby union (see below).
The term Home Nations is often used when referring to sporting events in which each of the Home Nations compete separately, such as the now defunct British Home Championship in football or the currently existing Six Nations in rugby union (although the Ireland rugby team includes both Northern Ireland and the Republic). The British and Irish Lions rugby team is composed of players from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, in which usage those four regions are referred to as the Home Nations.
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