Dave Heffernan (born 31 January 1991) is a rugby union player from Ireland. He currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14. Heffernan started his career playing as a

flanker Flanker may refer to: * Flanker (perfume), a newly created perfume sharing attributes of an existing one * Flanker (rugby union), a position in rugby union (not found in rugby league) * ''Su-27 Flanker'' (video game), a 1996 computer game modelin ...

, before moving to the position of

hooker Hooker may refer to: People * Hooker (surname) Places Antarctica * Mount Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (South Shetland Islands) New Zealand * Hooker River * Mount Hooker (New Zealand) in the Southern Alps * Hoo ...

. He plays his club rugby for Buccaneers. Heffernan has represented the Ireland U20 team. Heffernan studied at NUI Galway.

Career

Connacht

The Mayo native went to school in Blackrock College before playing with Connacht at Under-19 and Under-20 level. Heffernan joined the Connacht Academy in 2011. Heffernan had played in the

2011–12 Pro12 The 2011–12 Pro12 League (also known as the ''RaboDirect Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th season of the rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, the second with its current 12-team format, and also the first w ...

, making his first start against Scarlets on 2 March 2012, while still an academy player. He played as a blindside flanker, and stayed on the field for the full 80 minutes. After having spent two years in the Connacht Academy, Heffernan progressed to the full senior set-up, ahead of the

2013–14 Pro12 The 2013–14 Pro12 (also known as the ''RaboDirect Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th season of the Pro12 rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, the fourth with its current 12-team format, and the third with Rab ...

season. Before the start of the 2013–14 season, Heffernan was converted from a back-row forward into a hooker. He made his first senior appearance in his new position on 26 October 2013, coming on as a replacement for Seán Henry against Leinster. In total, Heffernan made 12 appearances in the 2013–14 league, 11 of these coming from the bench. In April 2014, Heffernan signed a contract extension with Connacht to keep him with the side until the end of the 2014–15 season.

International

Internationally, Heffernan has represented Ireland at Under-20 level. He played against France in the

2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship The 2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship was a rugby union competition held between February and March 2011. England won the tournament along with the Grand Slam and the Triple Crown. Final table Results Round one Round two Round thr ...

, starting at blindside flanker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heffernan, Dave 1991 births Living people Alumni of the University of Galway Buccaneers RFC players Connacht Rugby players Ireland international rugby union players Irish rugby union players Rugby union hookers Sportspeople from County Mayo People educated at Blackrock College