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| Date of birth | 8 April 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Surrey, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (16.5 st; 231 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Cranleigh School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sammy Arnold (born 8 April 1996) is an English-born, Irish rugby union player for English club Newcastle Falcons. He plays as a centre.
Born in Redhill, Surrey, Arnold moved to Kent aged five and attended a state school until sixth form, when he earned a rugby scholarship at Cranleigh School. Harlequins had shown interest in Arnold joining their academy, but as a scrum-half rather than a centre. Arnold, who wanted to play as a centre for Ireland, instead decided to join Ulster. [1] He qualifies for Ireland through his mother, who is from Wexford – he also has a grandfather from Bere Island, County Cork. [2]
Arnold made his debut against Dragons at Rodney Parade in March 2015 as an 18-year-old. [3] At the end of the season he won the Club's Academy Player of the Year award. [3] He made his first Champions Cup appearance against Oyonnax in January 2016, [3] but was forced off through injury after 23 minutes. [4]
On 4 February 2016, it was announced that Arnold would be joining Ulster's provincial rivals, Munster, at the beginning of the 2016–17 season. [5] Just weeks after joining Munster, Arnold damaged ligaments in his knee, which ruled him out of the opening period of the 2016–17 season. [6] On 26 November 2016, Arnold made his competitive debut for Munster, starting alongside Jaco Taute in the 2016–17 Pro12 fixture against Benetton at Thomond Park. [7] In January 2017, Arnold was ruled out for 8 weeks with a knee injury. [8] On 27 February 2017, Arnold resumed full training following his recovering from the knee injury. [9]
On 31 March 2017, Arnold started for Munster A in their 2016–17 British and Irish Cup semi-final against Ealing Trailfinders, scoring a try in the 25–9 win against the English Championship side at CIT. [10] On 21 April 2017, Arnold started at 13 for Munster A in their 29–28 victory over English RFU Championship side Jersey Reds in the final of the 2016–17 British and Irish Cup, which was held in Irish Independent Park. [11] He scored his first tries for Munster on 3 November 2017, doing so in the 2017–18 Pro14 win against Welsh side Dragons. [12] Arnold made his European Rugby Champions Cup debut for Munster on 9 December 2017, starting in the Pool 4 fixture against Leicester Tigers in Thomond Park and earning the Man-of-the-Match award in the provinces' 33–10 win. [13]
He was sent-off for a high tackle on Christian Lealiifano in Munster's Pro14 game against Ulster on 1 January 2018 [14] [15] and subsequently banned for 3 weeks. [16] He signed a new two-year contract with Munster in February 2018. [17] Arnold was named the Munster Rugby Young Player of the Year in April 2018. [18]
Arnold joined Connacht on a two-year contract in July 2020, [19] and made his debut for the province against his old club Munster on 30 August 2020.
Arnold moved to France to join Brive, where former Ireland and British & Irish Lions player Jeremy Davidson is head coach, on a three-year contract from the 2022–23 season. [20]
On 19 July 2024, Arnold returns to the UK as he signs for English side Newcastle Falcons in the Premiership Rugby on a two-year deal from the 2024-25 season. [21]
After achieving selection at under-18 level in May 2013, [22] Arnold received his first call up for the Ireland under-20 side in February 2015 for a 2015 Six Nations Under 20s Championship clash with France. [23]
Arnold earned his first senior call-up in October 2018, being selected in Joe Schmidt's 42-man Ireland squad for the 2018 Autumn Internationals. [24] Arnold made his senior international debut for Ireland in their 2018 Autumn Test against the United States on 24 November 2018, coming on as a replacement for Will Addison at half-time in Ireland's 57–14 win. [25]
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.
Ian James T. Keatley is an Irish rugby union player. He plays primarily as a fly-half, but can also play as a centre or fullback.
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.
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.
Christopher Robert Eric Farrell is an Irish rugby union player for French Pro D2 club Oyonnax. He plays as a centre.
Rory Scholes is an Irish rugby union player. He plays primarily as a wing, but also covers fullback. Scholes last played for Brive. He has previously played for his native province of Ulster, Scottish side Edinburgh and another Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14.
Stephen Fitzgerald is an Irish former rugby union player, who played for his native province Munster and Connacht during his career. Fitzgerald played primarily as a fullback, but could also play on either wing, and represented Shannon in the All-Ireland League.
Dan Goggin is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a centre for French Pro D2 club Montauban.
Conor Oliver is an Irish rugby union player for United Rugby Championship side Connacht. He plays as a flanker and represents Garryowen in the All-Ireland League.
Alex Wootton is an Irish rugby union player for Connacht in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. He plays primarily as a wing, but can also play as a fullback.
The 2017–18 PRO14 was the seventeenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It is the first season to be referred to as the Guinness PRO14 Championship, with the addition of two South African teams.
Cormac Brennan is a rugby union player from Ireland. He can play in a number of positions across the backline mainly in the back three, but also covering centre. Brennan currently plays for Irish Pro14 side Connacht, having come through the province's academy. He plays his club rugby for Galwegians.
The 2017–18 season was Irish provincial rugby union side Connacht Rugby's seventeenth season competing in the Pro14, and the team's twenty-second season as a professional side. It was Kieran Keane's first and only season in charge of the side.
The 2018–19 Munster Rugby season was Munster's eighteenth season competing in the Pro14, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Johann van Graan's second season as head coach and his first full season in the role, having joined partway through the previous season.
The 2018–19 Pro14 is the eighteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the second season to be referred to as the Pro14.
The 2018–19 season was Irish provincial rugby union side Connacht Rugby's eighteenth season competing in the Pro14, and the team's twenty-third season as a professional side. It was Andy Friend's first season in charge of the side.
The 2019–20 Munster Rugby season was Munster's nineteenth season competing in the Pro14, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Johann van Graan's third season as head coach.
The 2020–21 Munster Rugby season was Munster's twentieth season competing in the Pro14, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Johann van Graan's fourth season as head coach.
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.