Birth name | John Clark Michael Cooney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 1 May 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 85 kg (13.4 st; 187 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Gonzaga College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | University College Dublin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
John Cooney (born 1 May 1990) 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.
He is the first player to play over 20 games for three different Irish provinces. Ulster describe him as a "talismanic player ... known for his sniping runs, kicking success, and ability to dictate games" whose "performances for the province have seen him consistently rank among the top points-scorers in the PRO14, now United Rugby Championship, competition." [1]
Born in Dublin, Cooney grew up in the suburb of Terenure, and was educated at Gonzaga College and University College Dublin. [2] His father, John Cooney Senior was born in Blantyre in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, [3] and worked as a journalist for the Glasgow Herald before becoming European correspondent, and later religious affairs correspondent for The Irish Times and the Irish Independent . [2] He also published a critical biography of the former Catholic Primate of Ireland John Charles McQuaid, Ruler of Catholic Ireland. [2] His mother is from County Sligo. [4] His uncle by marriage is the journalist and author Martin Sixsmith. [2]
Cooney made his senior debut for Leinster on 2 September 2011, when he started against Ospreys in Swansea during the opening game of the 2011–12 Pro12. [5] He continued to make appearances for Leinster in the league, playing four more times, though each of these appearances came from the bench. [6] Most of his appearances came while Leinster's front-line players were away at the 2011 World Cup, though he also scored his first try for the team later in the season in a win over Benetton Treviso. [7] He made his European debut for the side in the final of the 2011–12 Heineken Cup, coming on as a replacement scrum-half in Leinster's 42–14 win over Irish rivals Ulster and winning a medal in the process. [8]
In the following season, he continued to feature for Leinster in the league making a total of 13 appearances in the 2012–13 Pro12, scoring try against Scarlets on 23 February 2013. Nine of these appearances came as a replacement. [6] In Europe, he did not feature in the 2012–13 Heineken Cup as Leinster were knocked out in the pool stages. He did, however, come on as a replacement in three of the team's games in the 2012–13 European Challenge Cup, including the final against Stade Français, earning himself another European medal in the process. [8]
He did not feature as regularly for Leinster in the 2013–14 season as he had the year before, finding himself behind internationals Eoin Reddan and Isaac Boss on the depth chart. He made his first appearance in the 2013–14 Pro12 against Cardiff Blues as a replacement, and went on to make a further four appearances in the league, all of these coming as starts. He scored a try against Zebre on 9 February 2014. [6] In the 2013–14 Heineken Cup, he made one appearance for the side, being used as a replacement against Northampton Saints in the pool stages. [8]
It was announced in June 2014 that Cooney would be spending the 2014–15 season on loan at another Irish province, with both he and Leinster teammate Quinn Roux joining Connacht on loan. While Roux would return to Leinster in January 2015, Cooney agreed a deal to play with Connacht until the end of the season. [9]
After the IRFU prevented South African international Ruan Pienaar from extending his contract, Ulster signed Cooney from Connacht as his replacement ahead of the 2017–18 season. [10] He made 25 appearances in his first season with the province, including 22 starts, and scored five tries, 37 conversions and 42 penalties, totalling 225 points. He also made 14 try assists. [11] He was named at scrum-half in the Pro14 Dream Team for the season, [12] having topped the league in points scored, try assists, penalties and passes, and come second in clean breaks. [13] In the 2018 Ulster Rugby Awards, he was named Player of the Year, Rugby Writers' Player of the Year, and Supporters' Club Player of the Year. [14]
In his second season with Ulster, he made 20 appearances, including 18 starts, and scored 142 points, including three tries, made eight try assists, and was named "man of the match" twice. [15] He was again named in the Pro14 Dream Team. [16] In the 2019–20 season he made 20 appearances including 18 starts, and scored 180 points including ten tries. [17] He was named Player of the Year at the 2020 Ulster Rugby Awards, [18] made his third straight Pro14 Dream Team. [19] and was included in the longlist of nominations for EPCR European Player of the Year, [20] [21] The following season he was Supporters' Club Player of the Year, [22] after making 19 appearances and scoring 174 points, including seven tries, and making 19 try assists and 26 clean breaks. [23] He led the Pro14 in points scored with 115, try assists with 13, and clean breaks with 22, [24] and made his fourth straight Pro14 Dream Team when he was included in the 2020–21 team. [25] His season was ended in April by a neck injury sustained in the Challenge Cup semi-final against Leicester Tigers. [26] A hamstring injury sustained against Glasgow Warriors in the opening match in September 2021, [27] and a calf injury sustained against Munster in January 2022, [28] reduced his involvement in the 2021–22 season, but he made his 100th appearance for the province in the URC quarter-final victory over Munster on 3 June 2022. [29]
In December 2022 he won the inaugural URC Difference Maker award for his volunteer work with Belfast Central Mission's befriending service. [30]
He was named Ulster's supporters club player of the year for the 2023-24 season in the 2024 Ulster Rugby Awards, [31] and selected in the URC's team of the season for the fifth time. [32]
Cooney represented Ireland four times at U-18s level and played eleven times for the Irish U-20s squad. Cooney also represented Emerging Ireland in the 2013 Tbilisi Cup. He came on as a replacement for Michael Heaney in the opening game, a win over Georgia, and started the two remaining games, a defeat to South Africa President's XV and a victory over Uruguay.[ citation needed ]
He made his debut for the senior Ireland team against Japan in June 2017. [33] He made 11 appearances for Ireland, the last coming against England in the 2020 Six Nations Championship. [34]
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in South Africa, and the BKT United Rugby Championship in the competition's other territories, the split branding mirroring the format previously adopted in Super Rugby. The Championship represents the highest level of domestic club or franchise rugby in each of its constituent countries.
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.
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.
Leinster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial club rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
Tiernan O'Halloran is a professional rugby union player from Ireland. He primarily plays as a fullback or on the wing. O'Halloran currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14.
Craig Gilroy is an Irish rugby union player who played wing for Ulster, and a former Ireland international. He was Ulster's player of the year in 2014–15, and was named in the Pro12 Dream Team twice.
Dave McSharry is a former professional rugby union player from Ireland. He played primarily as a centre, usually at inside centre. McSharry played for Irish provincial team Connacht in the Pro12 before he was forced to retire in 2016.
Matthew Healy is an Irish former professional rugby union player. His primary position was on the wing and he was also used as injury cover at fullback, while earlier in his career he played at scrum-half. Healy played his entire career for Irish provincial team Connacht Rugby in the Pro14 and represented Ireland at test level once. He is Connacht's all-time leading try scorer.
Craig Ronaldson is a rugby union player from Ireland. His primary position is at fly half, though he also plays as a centre. Ronaldson most recently played professionally for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14, where he spent six seasons from 2013 to 2019.
Finlay Harry Bealham is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Connacht. Born in Australia, he represents Ireland at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.
The 2021–22 season was Ulster Rugby's 28th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's fourth season as head coach. They competed in the inaugural United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The 2020–21 season was Ulster's 27th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Dan McFarland's third season as head coach. Iain Henderson was captain. They competed in the Pro14, the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
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.
The 2017–18 season was Ulster's 24th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and Jono Gibbes' only season as head coach. Rory Best was captain. They competed in the inaugural Pro14 and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The 2016–17 season was Ulster's 23rd season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and the third under Director of Rugby Les Kiss and head coach Neil Doak. They completed in the European Rugby Champions Cup and the final season of the Pro12 before it became the Pro14 with the addition of two teams from South Africa.
The 2015–16 season was Ulster's 22nd season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and the second under Director of Rugby Les Kiss and head coach Neil Doak. They competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup and the Pro12.
The 2014–15 season was Ulster's 21st season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their first under Director of Rugby Les Kiss and head coach Neil Doak. They completed in the European Rugby Champions Cup and the Pro12.
The 2011–12 Ulster Rugby season was Ulster's 18th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union, and their third under head coach Brian McLaughlin. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the inaugural Pro12, successor competition to the Celtic League.
The 2022–23 season was Ulster Rugby's 29th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They competed in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Dan McFarland's fifth season as head coach.