Craig Casey (born 19 April 1999) is an Irish

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player for

United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

and

European Rugby Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

side

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

. Internationally, Casey made his senior debut for Ireland in 2021. He plays as a scrum-half and represents Shannon in the All-Ireland League.

Early life

Born in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, Casey captained Ardscoil Rís to the semi-finals of the 2017

Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup The Munster Schools Senior Cup or Munster Senior Cup is the under-age rugby union competition for schools affiliated to the Munster Branch of the IRFU. The inaugural Munster Schools Senior Cup took place in 1909 and, since then, Cork city's two ...

, and his performances saw him named in the Munster Schools top XV for 2017, as well as earning representation for Munster and Ireland at under-18 level. He is the nephew of former Shannon and Munster player

Mossy Lawler Mossy Lawler (born 5 April 1980) is an Irish former rugby union player who currently works as a coach. He primarily played as a wing or fullback, but also covered fly-half and centre. Lawler spent most of his playing career with Munster, play ...

Munster

Casey joined the Munster academy ahead of the 2017–18 season, and won the ''John McCarthy Award for Academy Player of the Year'' in April 2019. Casey made his senior competitive debut for Munster in their 27–14 win against

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

in round 21 of the

2018–19 Pro14 The 2018–19 Pro14 (also known as the '' Guinness Pro14'' for sponsorship reasons) 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 ''Pr ...

on 27 April 2019. Casey had been a late call-up to the bench for Munster after the starting scrum-half,

Conor Murray Conor Murray (born 20 April 1989) is an Irish rugby union player who plays for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. Internationally, Murray has represented Ireland and the British & Irish Lions, whom he ...

, withdrew during the warm-up and

Neil Cronin Neil Cronin (born 6 December 1992) is an Irish rugby union player for Munster in the United Rugby Championship. He plays as a scrum-half and represents Garryowen in the All-Ireland League. Garryowen During the 2017–18 season, Cronin capta ...

was promoted to the starting XV. He joined the provinces senior squad ahead of the 2019–20 season on a development contract, before progressing to a full contract ahead of the 2020–21 season. Casey made his first start for Munster in their 19–14 away win against

in round 8 of the

2019–20 Pro14 The 2019–20 PRO14 (also known as the ''Guinness Brewery, Guinness PRO14'' for sponsorship reasons) was the nineteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Pro14, Celtic League. It was the third season to be ...

on 21 December 2019, and he made his European debut for the province in their 39–22 defeat away to French club

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French rugby union club based in suburban Paris that was formed in 2001 with the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and US Métro. They were called Racing Métro 92 between 2001 and 2015, when they changed the name to ...

in round 5 of the 2019–20 Champions Cup on 12 January 2020. One week later, Casey scored his first try for Munster in their 33–6 win against Welsh side

Ospreys The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

, in what was the provinces final pool fixture of the 2019–20 Champions Cup. He signed a two-year contract extension with the province in February 2021. Casey's performances for Munster throughout the 2020–21 season saw him win the clubs ''Young Player of the Year'' award. Casey was selected in the

2021–22 United Rugby Championship The 2021–22 United Rugby Championship was the twenty-first season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the first season that the competition is referred to as the United Rugby Championship, ...

dream team following his performances for Munster during that season. Casey signed a three-year contract extension with Munster in September 2022, and earned his 50th cap for the province when he started in their 21–5 home win against Italian side

Zebre Parma Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...

in round three of the

2022–23 United Rugby Championship The 2022–23 United Rugby Championship is the 22nd season of the professional rugby union competition United Rugby Championship. It began on 16 September 2022. For sponsorship reasons it is known in South Africa as Vodacom United Rugby Champions ...

on 1 October 2022.

Ireland

Casey had been in contention for selection for Ireland under-20s during 2018, but a series of injuries ruled him out. Having overcome his injury issues, Casey was named as vice-captain in the under-20s squad for the

2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship The 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship was the 12th series of the Six Nations Under 20s Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. France were the defending champions. Ireland won the tournament and a Grand Slam, a ...

, and made three appearances, scoring two tries, during the tournament, which saw Ireland secure a grand slam victory for the first time since 2007. He was retained as vice-captain in the under-20s squad for the

2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship The 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship was the twelfth edition of the premier age-grade competition for rugby. The tournament was held in Argentina for the second time, having been hosted there in 2010. Defending champions France won the un ...

when it was confirmed in May 2019. When head coach Andy Farrell announced the

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

squad for their two remaining

2020 Six Nations Championship The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...

fixtures in October, delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Casey was one of six players who, though not being called up to the squad, would train alongside it. Casey earned his first senior international call up in January 2021, when Andy Farrell announced the Ireland squad for the

2021 Six Nations Championship The 2021 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, ...

, and he made his senior debut against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in round 3 on 27 February 2021, coming on as a replacement for

Jamison Gibson-Park Jamison Ratu Gibson-Park (born 23 February 1992) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for United Rugby Championship club Leinster. Born in New Zealand, he represents Ireland at international level after qualifying thro ...

in Ireland's 48–10 away win. Ireland captain

Johnny Sexton Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored o ...

remarked after the game that Casey's attitude reminded him of former

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

fly-half

Jonny Wilkinson Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 25 May 1979) is an English former rugby union player. A Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and RC Toulonnais, Toulon and represente ...

. Casey made his first start for Ireland in their mid-year test against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

on 10 July 2021, which Ireland won 71–10, and featured off the bench in the 53–7 win against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in Ireland's final fixture of the

2021 Autumn Nations Series The 2021 end of year rugby union tests, also referred to as the Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, were rugby union test matches during October and November 2021, mainly involving countries from the Northern Hemisphere hosting those f ...

on 21 November. Casey's only appearance in the

2022 Six Nations Championship The 2022 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England national rugby union team, England ...

came as a replacement during Ireland's 57–6 home win against

on 27 February. Ireland went to claim the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

after defeating

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

26–5 at home in the final round of the tournament on 19 March. Casey was selected in the squad for the

2022 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand In July 2022, Ireland played a three-Test series against New Zealand as part of the 2022 mid-year rugby union internationals. Ireland also played two matches against the Māori All Blacks. This was Ireland's first tour since their tour to Austr ...

, and started in the uncapped match against the

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing i ...

on 29 June, which ended in a 32–17 defeat for Ireland, and also started in the second uncapped match against the Māori All Blacks on 12 July, which ended in a 30–24 win for Ireland. He captained Ireland A in their 47–19 defeat against an

All Blacks XV The All Blacks XV is the second national rugby union team of New Zealand, after the All Blacks. New Zealand's second national team has had numerous names in its history: Junior All Blacks, New Zealand XV, New Zealand A, New Zealand B, All Blacks ...

on 4 November 2022, and featured as a substitute for Ireland during their 35–17 win against

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

on 12 November and their 13–10 win against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

on 19 November during the

2022 Autumn Nations Series The 2022 end of year rugby union tests, also known as the 2022 Autumn internationals, were a number of rugby union test matches played during the months of October and November. Some of the games were known as the Autumn Nations Series for marketin ...

. After

pulled out before kick-off due to injury, Casey was promoted to the bench for Ireland's opening fixture of the

2023 Six Nations Championship The 2023 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland a ...

against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

on 4 February, replacing

during the second-half of Ireland's 34–10 away win. With Gibson-Park also ruled out of the round two fixture against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on 11 February, Casey retained his place on the bench and replaced Conor Murray during the second-half of Ireland's 32–19 win.

Statistics

International analysis by opposition

''Correct as of 11 February 2023''Craig Casey
''ESPN Scrum'' 28 February 2021

Honours

Ireland under-20s

Six Nations Under 20s Championship The Six Nations Under 20s Championship is an international rugby union tournament. It is the under-20s equivalent of the Six Nations Championship. Originally the tournament was in an under-21 format but changed to under-20s in 2008. England wer ...

: **Winner (1):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

: **Winner (1):

: ** Winner (1):

Ireland

: ** Winner (1):

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

Individual

* Munster Academy Player of the Year: **Winner (1): 2018–19 *Munster Young Player of the Year: **Winner (1):

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

*United Rugby Championship dream team: **Selected (1): 2021–22

References

External links

Munster Senior ProfileMunster Academy ProfileIreland Senior ProfileU20 Six Nations ProfileURC Profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, Craig 1999 births Living people People educated at Ardscoil Rís, Limerick Rugby union players from County Limerick Irish rugby union players Shannon RFC players Munster Rugby players Ireland international rugby union players Ireland Wolfhounds international rugby union players Rugby union scrum-halves