IRFU Ranked As Ireland’s Second Most Reputable Organisation

The Reputations Agency has, today, revealed the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) as Ireland’s second most reputable organisation with the publication of the Ireland Reputation Index 2026.

Based on the views of over 5,000 people, and carried out over January – March 2026, the index provides a snapshot of the reputation strength of 100 of Ireland’s most important organisations. The rankings for the top three companies in the index are incredibly close with the Credit Unions achieving an Excellent reputation score of 81.7, followed by the IRFU at 80 and An Post just behind the IRFU with a score of 79.8. Now in its 17th year, the Index is managed by The Reputations Agency, who are exclusive partners to The RepTrak Company.

The IRFU has welcomed new independent research which ranks the organisation #2 in Ireland in the 2026 RepTrak® study, achieving an Excellent-tier reputation score of 80.0.

IRFU CEO Kevin Potts commented: “We are delighted to see the IRFU recognised with an excellent-tier reputation score and ranked second in the country. This is a significant endorsement of the work taking place across Irish rugby – from the grassroots game to our professional teams – and reflects the trust and support of our players, volunteers, partners, and fans. We remain committed to building a sustainable and inclusive future for rugby in Ireland and to continuing to earn that trust every day.”

The result marks a significant year-on-year improvement, with the IRFU rising from 13th place in 2025 (75.9, Strong tier) to become one of only two organisations in Ireland to achieve an Excellent-tier rating in 2026. The RepTrak study, which assesses the reputations of 100 leading organisations across Ireland, also reported an overall sector increase, with the national average rising to 69.8 (Average tier).

The Index also shows significant changes to the rankings, with four new entrants to the top ten. Boots remains the highest-ranked pharmacy in the index. In professional services, Grant Thornton has increased its standing this year and ranks in the top one-third of all organisations with a reputation score of 72.6 and a 32nd place ranking. A number of insurance companies are tightly clustered together with Aviva achieving a score of 72, closely followed by Irish Life at 71.9 and Zurich at 71.4. In banking, the average reputation score for banks now exceeds the average score for all organisations in the index.

The Top Three

This year’s winners, the Credit Unions topped the annual ranking for the fourth consecutive year with an Excellent reputation score of 81.7. The organisation also ranked first in the most important driver of reputation in Ireland – Conduct, in addition to taking first place when the public were asked if they would ‘give them the benefit of the doubt in a crisis’ and ‘Trust them to do the right thing.’ Credit Unions were perceived to be the most fair, friendly, genuine and sincere organisation among the 100 studied.

In second place, managing body of the rugby union of Ireland, IRFU achieved an Excellent tier score of 80.0 as a new entrant into the top 10 ranking spots this year.

An Post came in at third place, with a Strong reputation score of 79.8. The semi-State body has been recognised for bringing its purpose to life in acting for the common good, improving quality of life across communities in Ireland, and for its noticeable transformation towards sustainable business.

Reputation Going from Strength to Strength

In addition to the top-three, this year’s Reputation Index also included noticeable improvements across a wide range of sectors. Airlines and aerospace increase by +4.9 Reputation points, sporting bodies (+3.8), retail (+3.2), communications and media (+2.1). Public services bodies also increased by an average of +1.9 with Fáilte Ireland as one of four new entrants to the top 10 and ranked in 10th place. Other public sector bodies with a mission to support Ireland also scored well with the IDA in 16th, Enterprise Ireland in 21st and Tourism Ireland in 23rd.

The three biggest risers this year were RTÉ, Ryanair and FAI, with RTÉ recording an increase of 10.7 points. The Index also indicates that consumers are rewarding trusted outlets for their news source with major news publishers in the study recording a rise in reputation strength.

In what was a turbulent year for the tech sector X ranked in 100th place and Meta in 99th. X was also the only organisation which achieved the lowest reputational tier of Poor (0–39).

The average reputation scores across all 100 organisations included in the Ireland Reputation Index increased by 1.1 points compared to last year, with the average now at 69.8, just below the threshold for a strong reputation score of 70.0. This marks the highest average reputation score recorded since COVID, when many organisations experienced a significant reputational uplift. Of the 16 sectors measured in the study, five recorded significant improvements year-on-year.

Reflecting on The Ireland Reputation Index 2026, Alan Tyrrell, CEO of The Reputations Agency, emphasised the commercial and strategic importance of reputation: “From our 2026 study the message is clear – reputation matters from the boardroom to the frontline. The evidence shows that organisations with an Excellent reputation score are 19 times more likely to earn the public’s willingness to buy than organisations in the poor reputation tier. What also stands out from this year’s findings is that the strongest reputations are not built by chance. Leading organisations consistently contribute positively to society, operate with integrity, deliver high-quality products and services, and are led by strong, focused leadership teams. Reputation is earned through actions, consistency and trust over time.”

The top 10 most reputable organisations in the Ireland Reputation Index 2026 include: 

Rank	Organisation	Reputation Score	Rank	Organisation	Reputation Score
1.	Credit Unions	81.7	6.	Toyota	79.1
2.	IRFU	80.0	7.	St Vincents Private Hospital	78.9
3.	An Post	79.8	8.	Samsung	78.9
4.	Bon Secours Hospital	79.3	9.	Aer Lingus	78.4
5.	Aldi	79.1	10.	Fáilte Ireland	78.0