Birth name | Gavin Thornbury | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 19 October 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 116 kg (18.3 st; 256 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Blackrock College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | University College Dublin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gavin Thornbury (born 19 October 1993) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a lock for Connacht in the Pro14.
Having completed three years in the Leinster Academy upon leaving Blackrock College, Thornbury earned a professional development contract for the 2015–16 season. [1] However, Thornbury left Leinster to spend six months in New Zealand, where he played for club side Border on the North Island and helped them to victory in the Wanganui premier club competition. This earned Thornbury a call-up to Wanganui provincial representative team, who play in the Heartland Championship - the tier below New Zealand's Mitre 10 Cup and, in October 2016, Thornbury helped Wanganui win the Meads Cup. [2]
Thornbury returned to Ireland and joined western province and then-defending Pro14 champions Connacht on a two-year contract in April 2017. [2] Following a strong season in the Championship, Thornbury was named to the 2020–21 Pro14 Dream Team. [3]
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Connacht Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Connacht Branch, which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Connacht.
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