Ireland National Under-18 Rugby Union Team
The Irish Schoolboys rugby union team is the national team for secondary school students and under-18 school players in Ireland. There is an equivalent Ireland under 18 clubs side that play international rugby. Role The Irish Schoolboys side represents the nation against youths of other nations. They provide a starting point for Ireland qualified players that has led to players representing the National Team, Ireland A, Development, Provincial, Students, Irish U-20 and AIL teams. Currently in both the Republic and Northern Ireland there are 246 Schools playing rugby; Ulster (107), Leinster (75), Munster (41) and Connacht (23). School competitions Each of the four Provinces holds a Schools Cup competition every season, usually culminating in a Provincial Cup Final held on or around St Patricks Day (17 March each year). Despite the age group the qualifying games and finals are usually very well attended with crowds often better than those attending most adult club games, for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Shamrock
A shamrock is a young sprig, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The name ''shamrock'' comes from Irish (), which is the diminutive of the Irish word and simply means "young clover". At most times'', Shamrock'' refers to either the species (lesser clover, Irish: ) or (white clover, Irish: ). However, other three-leaved plants—such as , , and —are sometimes called shamrocks. The shamrock was traditionally used for its medicinal properties and was a popular motif in Victorian times. Botanical species There is still not a consensus over the precise botanical species of clover that is the "true" shamrock. John Gerard in his herbal of 1597 defined the shamrock as ''Trifolium pratense'' or ''Trifolium pratense flore albo'', meaning red or white clover. He described the plant in English as "Three leaved grasse" or "Medow Trefoile", "which are called in Irish ''Sha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tommy Bowe
Thomas John Bowe (born 22 February 1984) is an Irish former rugby union player from County Monaghan, Ireland. He played on the wing for Ulster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. In March 2012, after four years with Ospreys in Swansea, Wales, he returned to Ulster for the 2012/13 season. After his playing career, Bowe has taken up television presenting, and is a host of morning television show ''Ireland AM''. Career Early career A former pupil of The Royal School, Armagh, Bowe was a schoolboy provincial full-back, only converting to wing whilst playing for Ireland U-21s. Bowe played Gaelic football from U10 level with Emyvale, his local GAA club and he also ran for the Glaslough Harriers and represented his local parish Donagh in the All-Ireland Community Games and went to Mosney with the Monaghan Relay team. He represented Monaghan at U16 and Minor level. As well as playing Gaelic football, he also played rugby with Monaghan RFC at underage levels as well as representi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jeremy Davidson (rugby Union)
Jeremy Davidson (born 28 April 1974) is a rugby union former player who currently works as a coach. Playing career Davidson played lock. He attended Methodist College Belfast. He played club rugby for Dungannon, Ulster, London Irish and Castres Olympique. At international level he represented Ireland with 32 caps. On the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa, he won 3 Test caps and was voted players' player of the tour. Davidson captained Ulster and London Irish. His playing career ended at age 27 due to a long-running knee injury. Coaching career Following a spell as director of rugby at Dungannon RFC, Davidson moved on to coach Castres. In June 2009 he became part of the coaching team at Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin .... As of 2017 he was coach ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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James Hume (rugby Union)
James Hume (born 7 September 1998) is an Irish rugby union player who plays Rugby union positions#Centre, centre for United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup side Ulster Rugby, Ulster. Born in Belfast, Hume attended Royal Belfast Academical Institution and was a key part of the team that won three Ulster Schools' Cups in a row between 2015 and 2017. After leaving school, he joined the Ulster academy ahead of the 2017–18 Ulster Rugby season, 2017–18 season, while playing club rugby for Banbridge RFC, Banbridge. He made his debut for Ireland national under-20 rugby union team, Ireland under-20s in their 41–38 defeat at the hands of Wales national under-20 rugby union team, Wales during the 2018 Six Nations Under 20s Championship on 23 February 2018. He also represented the under-20s at the 2018 World Rugby Under 20 Championship. He made his senior debut for Ulster on 29 September 2018, featuring off the bench in the province;s 64–7 defeat at the hands of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michael Lowry
Michael Lowry (born 13 March 1953) is an Irish Independent politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) since 1987, currently for the Tipperary constituency. He previously served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications from 1994 to 1996 and Chairman of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party from 1993 to 1994. Lowry is a former Chairman of the Fine Gael party and was Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications between 1994 and 1996. He resigned from his ministry in some controversy. Fine Gael barred him from standing for the party again. Thereafter he ran as an Independent candidate and has maintained his seat in the Dáil ever since. The Moriarty Tribunal concluded "beyond doubt" that Lowry was a tax evader and had assisted businessman Denis O'Brien's Esat Digifone consortium in acquiring a lucrative mobile phone licence in the mid-1990s, during Lowry's time as Communications Minister. O'Brien went on to become one of the richest men in Ireland. Lowry ini ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Neil McMillan
Neil McMillan (born 15 May 1981) is an Irish rugby union flanker. McMillan was educated at Belfast Royal Academy, and at the age of fifteen was part of the BRA Schools' Cup winning team in 1997. He he was selected for Ireland's Under-19, Under-21, Sevens and 'A' teams, spent a year with Leicester Tigers' under-21 team, before signing for Ulster before the 2001–02 season, soon making his debut against Llanelli Scarlets. He won the IRUPA Young Player of the Year award in 2003. He played for Ulster for eight years, and was part of the team that won the 2005–06 Celtic League, but was frequently injured, and had major surgery five times. He moved to Harlequins in 2008. He joined Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ... in 2010, leaving at the end of the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nathan Doak
Nathan Doak (born 17 December 2001) is an Irish rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The son of the former Ulster scrum-half and head coach Neil Doak, he was a mascot and a ball-boy at Ravenhill as a child. He started playing rugby at Wallace High School, and was part of the team that shared the Ulster Schools' Cup with The Royal School, Armagh after the final was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He won the Ulster Boys' Schools Player of the Year award in 2020. He represented Ireland at U18 and U19 level, and played for Ulster A in the 2019–20 Celtic Cup, before joining the Ulster academy for the 2020–21 season. He made his Ulster debut in Round 10 of the 2020–21 Pro14 against . He was selected for the Ireland national under-20 rugby union team for the 2021 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. He played in the victory against Wales, scoring three penalties, three conversio ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paul Marshall (rugby Union)
Paul Marshall (born 26 July 1985) is a former Irish rugby union player who was educated at Methodist College Belfast. Ulster Paul Joined Ulster at the beginning of the 2006/2007 on a full contract having graduated from the Ulster Academy. His first senior game was against Newport Gwent Dragons on November 9, 2006, coming on as a substitute. He used to play scrum-half for Ulster and is a former captain of the Ulster U21 rugby team. In early January 2012 Paul signed a new 2-year contract extension with Ulster. He was named Most Improved Player for the 2011/12 season at the annual Awards Dinner. He was man-of-the-match against Castres in the Heineken Cup at the start of the 2012/13 campaign. Marshall signed a new three-year contract in October 2013 that will keep him at Ulster until the summer of 2017. Which came as a surprise after turning down a lucrative deal from an English-based club. Ireland Marshall was part of the Irish Under 21 Six Nations team in the 05/06 season and wa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Darren Cave
Darren Cave (born 5 April 1987) is a retired professional rugby union player who played centre for Ulster in the Pro14 and European Rugby Champions Cup. A real attacking talent, Cave was another young player who has come up through the Ulster Academy system and upgraded his development contract to a full contract with Ulster ahead of the start of the 2008–09 season. He is a strong runner and tackling centre who has made a rapid progression at international level, having helped Ireland win the Grand Slam during 2007 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, starred in Ireland's Rugby World Cup Sevens qualification and he has represented Ireland 'A' as they won the 2009 Churchill Cup. Ulster Rugby In 2010/11 Cave struggled with injuries but returned towards the end of the season and scored some vital tries as Ulster reached the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup and semi-finals of the Magners League. Cave showed excellent form on his return to action but picked up another injury in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stuart Olding
Stuart Olding (born 11 March 1993) is a rugby union rugby player. He plays at centre and fullback. Olding played for Ulster from 2011 until 2018 when his contract was revoked. At international level, he has played for the Ireland U-20 and Ireland teams. In 2018 Olding signed for CA Brive in the Top 14. Ulster A versatile back, who can play at out-half, full-back or in the centre, Stuart Olding has represented Ireland at both Under 18 and Under 20 level. He made his debut for Ulster as a substitute against Leinster in December 2011, but just over a year later he established himself as a valued member of the senior squad. He scored his first try for Ulster against Glasgow in February 2013 and scored four in quick succession. Man-of-the-match awards against the Dragons and Connacht soon followed. CA Brive In May 2018 Olding signed for French club CA Brive. Olding and Paddy Jackson had been lined with a move to Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paddy Jackson
David Patrick Lindsay James "Paddy" Jackson (born 5 January 1992) is a professional rugby union player from Northern Ireland who plays for Gallagher Premiership side London Irish. He primarily plays at fly-half and previously played for Irish provincial club Ulster in the Pro12, as well as for French club Perpignan. Jackson captained the Ireland under-20 team and won 25 senior caps for Ireland between 2013 and 2017. In 2017 Jackson was charged with rape, and in 2018 he was tried and acquitted. Following the trial and the publication of related derogatory text messages sent by Jackson, the Irish Rugby Football Union revoked his Ireland and Ulster contracts. Early life Jackson's family lived in Birmingham for a time but returned to Belfast while Paddy was still of primary school age. He left school with three A-level grades B, C and D, and took a place at the Ulster Academy. Club career Ulster Jackson came through the Academy at Ulster. He made a surprise debut as the startin ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Simon Best
Simon Best (born 11 February 1978) is a former Irish rugby union footballer. He played for Ulster Rugby, Ulster and was club captain in Ulster's 2005/06 Pro14, Celtic League winning season. Simon missed the final game of Ulster' successful campaign in 2005/06 due to a broken ankle sustained while playing against Scarlets, Llanelli Scarlets in the penultimate game of the season. Simon is the brother of the former Ireland and Ulster hooker Rory Best. He was educated at Portadown College and has also represented Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland at Ireland Schools, schools, U19, U21, U25 and Ireland Wolfhounds, A levels. He later studied Agriculture at Newcastle University. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |