Jan Cunningham

Last updated

Jan Cunningham
Birth nameJan Cunningham
School Bangor Grammar School
University Trinity College Dublin
Notable relative(s) Bryn Cunningham (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, centre, fullback
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1993-1997 Dublin University ()
1997-1999 Ballymena R.F.C. ()
1999- Dungannon RFC ()
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1995-2002 Ulster 54 ()
Correct as of 2 December 2022

Jan Cunningham is an Irish former rugby union player, who played centre, wing and fullback for Ulster.

He was educated at Bangor Grammar School, where he captained the 1st XV at rugby and the 1st XI at cricket. [1] He captained Ulster Schools, was part of the Ireland Schools team that won the Triple Crown. [2]

He studied Law at Trinity College Dublin, playing rugby for Dublin University, [2] and was selected for Ireland at under-19 and under-21 level. [1] He made his debut for Ulster against Munster in 1995. [3] After completing his law degree in 1997, he joined Ballymena R.F.C. [4] And signed a full-time contract with Ulster. [5] He played all but one of Ulster's Heineken Cup matches in the first four seasons of the competition. He was part of the Ulster team who won the 1999 Heineken Cup, scoring three tries during the campaign. He started the final, but fractured his jaw and cheekbone in a tackle early in the first half, and was withdrawn at half-time. [6] Internationally, played for Ireland 'A' and Ireland Sevens, [1] and was an unused substitute for the senior Ireland team in a friendly against Canada in 1997. [7] At club level, he moved to Dungannon RFC before the 1999-2000 season, [8] and was part of the Dungannon team who were the first Ulster club to win the All-Ireland League in 2001. [9]

He fell out of favour at Ulster under head coach Alan Solomons, who left him out of the squad for the 2001–02 Heineken Cup. [10] His final appearance for the province came in December 2002, after a series of injuries left the team short of centres for a Heineken Cup tie against Biarritz Olympique, [11] scoring a try in a narrow defeat. [12] His contract was up at the end of the 2002-03 season, and he was not offered a new one. [13] He had made 54 appearances for the province. [1] He resumed his legal career as a trainee solicitor with Millar McCall Wylie, [2] rising to become a partner at the firm in 2011. [14] His younger brother Bryn also played for Ulster, [15] and has been the team's Operations Director since 2015. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Rugby</span> Rugby union team in island of Ireland

Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Irish regional pool of the United Rugby Championship and in the European Rugby Champions Cup, each of which they have won once. Ulster were the first Irish team and the first team outside England and France to win the European Cup in 1999.

The Ulster Senior League, currently known as the Ulster Rugby Premiership, is a rugby union competition for senior clubs in the Irish province of Ulster. It was formed by the then Northern Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union in October 1890. It has traditionally being ranked second in importance to the Ulster Senior Cup. It has declined in importance due to the formation of the All-Ireland League and growth in importance of the Heineken Cup.

Bryn Cunningham is an Irish rugby union administrator and former player. He played fullback for Ulster, making 150 appearances between 1997 and 2010, and was the team's Player of the Year in 2002–2003. Since 2014 he has been responsible for player recruitment at Ulster, initially as Team Manager, later as Operations Director.

Andy Ward is a New Zealand-born former rugby union player, who played flanker professionally for Ulster and internationally for Ireland.

Mark Conn McCall is an Irish professional rugby union coach and former player, who is the current director of rugby of Premiership Rugby club Saracens. Arriving as an assistant in 2009 and taking charge of the first-team in 2011, he is considered one of the greatest club managers of all time and holds the record for the most English championships won with six Premiership trophies. McCall also led Saracens to three European Rugby Champions Cup wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Humphreys (rugby union)</span> Ireland international rugby union player

David Humphreys MBE is a former Irish rugby union player. He played 72 times for Ireland, scoring 560 points, including 6 tries, and at the time of his international retirement was Ireland's most capped out-half. He played his club rugby for London Irish and Ulster, winning the 1998-99 Heineken Cup, the 2004 Celtic Cup and the 2005–06 Celtic League with the latter. Since retiring as a player he has served as director of rugby for Ulster and Gloucester, as a performance consultant with the Georgian Rugby Union, and is currently Director of Performance Operations with the England and Wales Cricket Board. He will succeed David Nucifora as the IRFU Performance Director in 2024.

The 1995–96 season was Ulster Rugby's first season under professionalism. Brian Bloomfield was in his second season as coach. 35-year-old Malone RFC centre Bill Harbinson, who first played for Ulster in 1986, was captain, in his final season before retirement from the game. They played six representative matches, defeating Griqualand West, New Zealand Federation U23 and New South Wales, and losing to a Côte Basque Select XV, the Combined Services and Edinburgh District. They finished second behind Leinster in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. They were one of three Irish provinces entered into the inaugural Heineken Cup, losing both their pool matches against Cardiff and Bègles-Bordeaux.

The 1996–97 Ulster Rugby season was Ulster's second season under professionalism, during which they competed in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship and the Heineken Cup.

The 1997–98 season was Ulster Rugby's third season under professionalism, during which they competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. Ulster Rugby Limited was incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee on 9 May 1997.

In Ulster Rugby's fourth season since the advent of professionalism, they were champions of the Heineken Cup, and finished second in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship.

The 1999–2000 season was Ulster Rugby's fifth season under professionalism, and Harry Williams's second season as head coach. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship.

The 2000–01 season was Ulster Rugby's sixth since the advent of professionalism, and their third under coach Harry Williams. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. Williams announced in August 2000 that he would leave at the end of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001–02 Ulster Rugby season</span> Professional provincial Rugby Union playing season

The 2001–02 season was Ulster Rugby's seventh under professionalism, and their first under head coach Alan Solomons. They competed in the Heineken Cup, the IRFU Interprovincial Championship, and the inaugural Celtic League. Flanker Andy Ward was captain.

The 2002–03 season was Ulster Rugby's eighth under professionalism, and their second under head coach Alan Solomons. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League. No IRFU Interprovincial Championship was held this season.

The 2003–04 season was Ulster Rugby's ninth under professionalism, and their third under head coach Alan Solomons. They competed in the Heineken Cup, the Celtic League and the inaugural Celtic Cup.

The 2004–05 season was Ulster Rugby's tenth under professionalism, and their first under head coach Mark McCall. They competed in the Heineken Cup, the Celtic League and the Celtic Cup.

The 2006–07 Ulster Rugby season was Ulster's 13th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their third under head coach Mark McCall. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League.

Tony McWhirter is an Irish former rugby union player, who played number eight and lock for Ulster.

Gary Leslie is an Irish former rugby union player. He played tighthead prop for Queen's University RFC, Dungannon RFC, Ulster, and Ireland 'A'.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Trevor Gray, The History of Bangor Grammar School, 2015, Chapter 13b: 1990-1998
  2. 1 2 3 Peter Lockhart (29 June 2020). "Jan Cunningham: Ulster's Legal Eagle". The Red Hand (Podcast). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Gavin Mairs, "Jan just the man to lift Dungannon", Belfast Telegraph, 14 February 2003
  4. ↑ Jim Stokes, "Jan sets his sights on Eaton Park", Belfast Telegraph, 18 July 1997
  5. ↑ Jim Stokes, "Mark off to join Exiles", Belfast Telegraph, 17 July 1997.
  6. ↑ Jonathan Bradley, The Last Amateurs: The Incredible Story of Ulster Rugby's 1999 European Champions, The Blackstaff Press, 2018, pp. 168-171
  7. ↑ "Ireland make two changes", Evening Herald, 21 November 1997
  8. ↑ Jim Stokes, "Dungannon's table is set", Belfast Telegraph, 18 August 1999
  9. ↑ "Brilliant Dungannon crowned All-Ireland champions", Ulster Herald, 31 May 2001
  10. ↑ "Ulster axe winger Cunningham", BBC Sport, 19 September 2001
  11. ↑ Gavin Mairs, "Go out there and blitz Biarritz: Cunningham", Belfast Telegraph, 27 October 2005
  12. ↑ "Ulster beaten by Biarritz", RTÉ Sport, 14 December 2002
  13. ↑ Gavin Mairs, "European Cup heroes lose Ulster contracts", Belfast Telegraph, 11 February 2003
  14. ↑ Jan Cunningham profile at Millar McCall Wylie
  15. ↑ Bruce McKendry, Champions: The Players' Story, IRFU (Ulster Branch), 1999, p. 140
  16. ↑ Richard Mulligan, "Ulster management happy with progression across all fronts", News Letter, 15 December 2015
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.