Niall O'Donovan

Last updated

Niall O'Donovan
Place of birth Limerick, Ireland
Notable relative(s) Maeve O'Donovan (daughter)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Number 8
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
Shannon ()
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
Munster ()
Coaching career
YearsTeam
19??–1996 Shannon (Head coach)
1996–1997 Shannon (Director of rugby)
1997–2001 Munster (Assistant coach)
2001–2008 Ireland (Forwards coach)
2008–2012 Ireland A (Assistant coach)
2012 Munster A (Forwards coach/manager)
2012–present Munster (Team manager)

Niall O'Donovan is an Irish rugby union coach who is currently manager of Munster, having previously coached Shannon, Ireland A and Ireland.

Contents

Career

O'Donovan spent his entire playing career with Shannon, representing the Limerick club for fifteen seasons and earning caps for Munster during eight of those seasons. After retiring from playing, he entered coaching and was head coach of the famous Shannon team that won the All-Ireland League in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and was director of rugby when the club completed their four-in-a-row in 1997. The team included the likes of Mick Galwey and Anthony Foley, who would go on to become Munster legends. [1] [2] [3]

Ahead of the 1997–98 season, O'Donovan joined the Munster coaching setup as an assistant coach alongside former head coach Jerry Holland and new head coach John Bevan. [4] When Bevan left his role after just one season and Declan Kidney joined the province as head coach, O'Donovan was retained as an assistant coach, staying with the province until he was appointed as full-time forwards coach for the Irish national team under Eddie O'Sullivan in December 2001. [5]

After O'Sullivan was sacked following the 2008 Six Nations Championship [6] and Declan Kidney took over as Ireland head coach, [7] O'Donovan was appointed as an assistant coach to Michael Bradley with Ireland A, who compete a level below the senior national team. [8]

He was team manager and forwards coach for the Munster A team that won the 2011–12 British and Irish Cup and, in June 2012, was appointed as team manager for Munster, replacing Shaun Payne, who had returned to South Africa. [9] [10] [11] O'Donovan signed a three-year contract extension in June 2017, ensuring he will continue his long association with the province until at least June 2020. [12]

Honours (as coach)

Shannon

Munster

Ireland

Ireland A

Munster A

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munster Rugby</span> Rugby team in Ireland

Munster Rugby is one of the professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU's Munster Branch, which is responsible for rugby union throughout the Irish province of Munster. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible." This is derived from the motto of the MacCarthy clan – "Forti et Fideli nihil difficile". Their main home ground is Thomond Park, Limerick, though some games are played at Musgrave Park, Cork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All-Ireland League (rugby union)</span> Irish rugby league

The All-Ireland League (AIL), known for sponsorship reasons as the Energia All-Ireland League, is the national league system for the 50 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The league was inaugurated in the 1990–91 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie O'Sullivan</span> Rugby player

Eddie O'Sullivan is an Irish rugby union coach, player and a former Gaelic footballer. He is a former head coach of Buccaneers RFC the United States national rugby union team and of the Ireland national rugby union team. He was head coach of Biarritz Olympique, who play in the second tier of France, until October 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolphin RFC</span> Irish rugby union club, based in Cork

Dolphin Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Cork. It was founded in 1902, by members of Dolphin Swimming Club seeking to find a wintertime activity. They play in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diarmuid O'Sullivan</span> Irish hurling coach

Diarmuid O'Sullivan is an Irish hurling coach and hurler who plays for Cork Premier Championship club Cloyne. He played for the Cork senior hurling team for 12 years, during which time he usually lined out as a full-back. A fan favourite who was noted for his swashbuckling style during his inter-county career, O'Sullivan is considered a "Cork legend".

Denis Patrick Leamy is an Irish former rugby union player who is currently part of the coaching team with Munster. He was a back-row forward who could play either flanker or at number 8, and occasionally played at centre. He ended his club rugby career for Munster in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup, and internationally for Ireland. He officially announced his retirement in May 2012 due to a long-standing hip injury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Declan Kidney</span> Irish rugby union player & coach

Declan Kidney is an Irish rugby union coach. He was the head coach of the Ireland national rugby union team from 2008 to 2013, where he won the 2009 Six Nations with a Grand Slam, winning the 2009 IRB Coach of the Year award. He was also the head coach at Munster, leading them to four Heineken Cup finals, winning twice in 2006 and 2008. He was recently Director of Rugby at London Irish.

Niall Ronan is a retired Irish rugby union player, who played for Leinster, Munster and Ireland during his career. He played as a flanker.

Gert Petrus Smal is a former South African rugby union player and assistant coach of the South African and Irish national rugby union teams. He is currently the forwards coach at Japanese Top League team Toyota Verblitz.

Killarney Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. It is affiliated to the Munster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club competes in Division 2 of the Munster Junior League. While a club existed in the town as far back as the end of the 19th century it wasn't until 1983 that the club in its current format was founded. Killarney currently have one senior sides as well as a large underage and mini set-up, and runs a successful Tag Rugby league during the summer months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niall Scannell</span> Irish rugby union player

Niall Scannell is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a hooker for United Rugby Championship club Munster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johann van Graan</span> Rugby player

Johann Christoffel van Graan is a South African rugby union coach, currently the head coach for Bath.

Mark Anthony McDermott is an Irish rugby union player and coach. As of 2019, he was a coach with Russia's national rugby union team.

The 2000–01 Munster Rugby season was Munster's sixth season as a professional team, during which they competed in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship and Heineken Cup. It was Declan Kidney's third season in his first spell as head coach of the province.

The 1999–2000 Munster Rugby season was Munster's fifth season as a professional team, during which they competed in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship and Heineken Cup. It was Declan Kidney's second season in his first spell as head coach of the province.

The 1998–99 Munster Rugby season was Munster's fourth season as a professional team, during which they competed in the IRFU Interprovincial Championship and Heineken Cup. It was Declan Kidney's first season in his first spell as head coach of the province.

Jeremiah Joseph Holland was an Irish rugby union player and coach.

Patrick Vincent Murray is an Irish former rugby union player and coach.

Conor Phillips is an Irish rugby union player who is currently a member of Munster's academy. He plays as a wing and represents his boyhood Limerick club Young Munster in the amateur All-Ireland League.

References

  1. "Shannon's secret - never give in". The Irish Times . 25 April 1998. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  2. "Balls Remembers: Anthony Foley And The Great Shannon Team Of The 1990s". Balls. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  3. "Niall O'Donovan Munster Coaching Profile". Munster Rugby. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  4. "O'Donovan to join Bevan at Munster helm". The Irish Times . 5 April 1997. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  5. "O'Donovan Appointed Forwards Coach". IRFU . 20 December 2001. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  6. "O'Sullivan quits as Ireland coach". BBC Sport . 19 March 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  7. "Kidney Confirmed as New Ireland Coach". Munster Rugby. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  8. "IRFU look to O'Donovan 'A' game". Irish Independent . 15 October 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  9. "Munster appoint Niall O'Donovan as new manager". The42 . 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  10. "O'Donovan is new team manager of Munster on a two-year contract". RTÉ Sport . 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  11. "Niall O'Donovan Appointed Team Manager". Munster Rugby. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  12. "Contract Extensions for Backroom Team". Munster Rugby. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2019.