Honours
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| Date of birth | 18 January 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Galway, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ciara Cooney (born 18 January 1988) is an Irish rugby player from Galway. She plays in the second row for Wasps RFC, Leinster and the Ireland women's national rugby union team. She works as a medical research scientist.
Cooney's first sport was camogie and she took up rugby, initially with Tullow RFC, while studying at Carlow IT. [1] She got a trial for Leinster in 2015 just six weeks after taking up the sport. [2]
She joined Railway Union in September 2015 to get experience playing in the All Ireland League but continued to also play Leinster League with Tullow with whom she won a Leinster Division 2 medal. [3]
To move her rugby up another level Cooney joined West London side Wasps, in England's Premier 15s in the Autumn of 2020, where her teammates include Irish teammates Claire Molloy and Cliodhna Moloney. [4]
Cooney made her international debut, in Ireland's first Autumn international, a 3–8 loss to England, in November 2015.
She made her Women's Six Nations Championship debut, as a replacement against Wales, on 6 February 2016. She was selected as part of Ireland's squad at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. [5]
She has been part of the Ireland team in the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 Women's Six Nations and amassed 21 caps. She missed the 2021 Six Nations due to injury. [6]
Injuries have interrupted her career at times but she was chosen, in the second row, by the Front Row Union website in the ‘Irish team of the Decade’ in 2021. [7]
Cooney has a B.Sc. in Sport Science from Carlow Institute of Technology and a Masters in Science research from Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology and works as a research assistant, studying medical nutrition, for MET Gateway in Galway.
| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (October 2021) |
Bernard Jackman is an Irish former rugby union player who played for Connacht, Leinster and Sale Sharks. At international level, he has also played for Ireland. He released his autobiography, Blue Blood in 2011. He was dismissed as the head coach of Welsh Pro14 side the Dragons in December 2018. Jackman is the current head coach of Bective Rangers FC.
Ashbourne RFC is an Irish rugby team based in Ashbourne, County Meath, playing in Division 1A of the Leinster League. The club colours are black and amber.
John Cooney is an Irish rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Irish provincial side Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup, having previously played for Leinster and Connacht, and has eleven caps for Ireland. Since joining Ulster in 2017, he has been nominated for EPCR European Player of the Year once, been named in the Pro14 Dream Team four times, and been Ulster's player of the year twice.
Viliami Vunipola is a professional rugby union player who plays as a number eight for Premiership Rugby club Saracens. Born in Australia, he represents England at international level after qualifying on residency grounds.
Nick Timoney is an Irish rugby union player, who plays in the back row for Ulster and Ireland. He is regarded as a "hybrid" player, an athletic forward with the pace of a back. He was named in the 2021–22 United Rugby Championship Dream Team.
Cliodhna Moloney is an Irish women's rugby union player from Kilconly, County Galway, Republic of Ireland. She currently plays for Railway Union RFC, Leinster Rugby (province) and the Ireland women's national rugby union team as a hooker.
Sene Naoupu is an Ireland women's rugby union international. Naoupu was a member of the Ireland team that won the 2015 Women's Six Nations Championship. She also represented Ireland at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. She is also an Ireland women's rugby sevens international. Naoupu is a Samoan New Zealander who originally emigrated to Ireland in 2009 with her former husband, George Naoupu, the former Highlanders, Harlequins and Connacht rugby union player. Naoupu is also a lifestyle coach and fitness trainer and operates her own business, Senshaper. In 2016, Naoupu was listed by The Irish Times as one of the thirty most influential women in Ireland.
Katie Fitzhenry is a women's rugby union player from Coolcotts in Wexford, County Wexford, Republic of Ireland. She plays as a centre for Blackrock College RFC, Leinster Rugby, the Ireland women's national rugby union team and the Ireland women's national rugby sevens team.
Helena Charlotte Rowland is an English rugby union player. She plays for England women's national rugby union team internationally and Loughborough Lightning at club level.
Ciara Griffin is an Irish rugby union player from Ballymacelligott, County Kerry. She plays flanker for UL Bohemians and Munster and has captained Ireland since 2018, including the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship. She works as a primary school teacher.
Nichola Fryday is an Irish rugby player from Kilcormac, Co Offaly. Nichola graduated from University College Dublin with a BAgrSc 2017. She plays for Blackrock College RFC, Connacht Rugby and the Ireland women's national rugby union team. She has played for Ireland since 2016 and represented them in the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.
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Edel McMahon is an Irish rugby player from Kilmihil, Co Clare. She plays for Exeter Chiefs Women, previously played for Wasps Ladies and Connacht and is a current member of the Ireland women's national rugby union team.
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Katie O'Dwyer is an Irish rugby player from Athenry, County Galway. She plays for Railway Union, Leinster Rugby and the Ireland women's national rugby union team at prop forward. She is a health and safety officer.
Hannah O'Connor is an Irish rugby player from Galway. She plays for Blackrock College RFC, Leinster and the Ireland women's national rugby union team.
Ellen Murphy is an Irish rugby player from Dromard, County Longford. She plays for Blackrock College and Leinster Rugby and the Ireland women's national rugby union team.
The 2019–20 season was Ulster's 26th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's second season as head coach. Lock Iain Henderson was named captain in place of retired hooker Rory Best. They competed in the Pro14 and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Both competitions were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he later stages being played in August, September and October 2020. In the Pro14, Ulster finished second in Conference A, making the playoffs and qualifying for next season's Champions Cup. They beat Edinburgh in the semi-final, but lost to Leinster in the final. They finished second in Pool 3 in the Champions Cup, qualifying for the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by Toulouse.
The 2018-19 season was Ulster's 25th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's first season as head coach. Rory Best was captain. They competed in the Pro14, making the semi-finals, and the European Rugby Champions Cup, making the quarter-finals.