Gavin Duffy (born 18 September 1981) is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
sportsman. Duffy is a former international
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 it ...
footballer who primarily played at
full back. He last played professionally for Irish provincial side
Connacht Rugby, in the
Pro12
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 represented
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 ...
at full international level.
Duffy also plays
Gaelic football, and was previously part of the wider
Mayo county team.
He had previously represented the county at under-age level.
Youth
Educated at
Cistercian College, Roscrea
Cistercian College, Roscrea or Roscrea College is a private boarding school in Ireland. It is a Roman Catholic seven-day and five-day boarding and day school for boys, founded in 1905. Its pupil population is primarily made up of boarding stude ...
and
NUI Galway
The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...
(where he studied commerce), he first played for Ireland at Schools level in 1998 and at Under-21 level before he was brought into their senior side during the 2000–01 season. He is also a graduate of the sports college,
Setanta College
Setanta College is a distance learning college, with a focus on sports courses. It offers internationally accredited qualifications, ranging from Higher Certificate to Master's degree level.
The college is primarily web-based but also offers ca ...
.
Rugby career
Early career
Duffy played for the amateur clubs Ballina RFC, his hometown's side and
Galway city
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
-based
Galwegians RFC
Galwegians Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Galway, Ireland. The Galwegians senior side plays in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League, the Irish domestic club competition.
Galwegians field over 16 teams including Senior, Junior (S ...
, before playing for his native province of
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 Del ...
. Early on there were rumours that he would play with local club Corinthians, however provincial bosses would not allow it. Duffy first played
Celtic League
The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...
rugby with
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 Del ...
in 2001, and played seven times in the
2001–02 Celtic League
The 2001–02 Celtic League was the inaugural season of the Celtic League. The first season would see fifteen teams compete: the four Irish provinces (Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster), two Scottish teams ( Edinburgh Reivers and Glasgow) and ...
and six times in the
2001–02 European Challenge Cup
The 2001–02 European Challenge Cup (known as the Parker Pen Shield for sponsorship reasons) was the 6th season of the European Challenge Cup, Europe's second tier club rugby union competition below the Heineken Cup. A total of 32 teams particip ...
, scoring one try in the league. In the following season, he played twice in
the league
''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football leagu ...
and five times in the
Challenge. During his time at Connacht, Duffy attracted the attention of larger sides. He declined an offer from
Munster, as they had already signed the former
All Black
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...
,
Christian Cullen
Christian Mathias Cullen (born 12 February 1976) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand (the All Blacks), for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later ...
, who played the same positions as Duffy.
Move to Premiership
Duffy moved to the English club
Harlequins from Connacht in the summer of 2003. Having joined Harlequins, Duffy made his league debut for the
Premiership side in a game against
Rotherham Titans on 20 September 2003. He was part of the team that won the
2003–04 European Challenge Cup. Duffy scored two tries in the 1st Round rout of
El Salvador. Harlequins went on to eventually face Connacht, beating Duffy's former team in the semi-finals over two legs. Duffy himself started at fullback in both the first and second matches. He also started in the final, scoring a crucial try in a single-point victory over
AS Montferrand. The club was relegated in the
2005–05 season, Duffy stayed with the team as they won the
2005–06 National Division One, England's second tier league. Duffy remained with Harlequins until 2006. During his time there, he earned 110 caps, making 92 starts and 18 replacement appearances, as well as scoring 21 tries.
Return to Connacht
Duffy rejoined Connacht in late 2006, going on to become a mainstay of the Connacht team. He was named as captain for the
2011–12 season, replacing his
Galwegians clubmate and fellow
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 ...
cap-holder
John Muldoon in the role. In the
2011–12 Heineken Cup Duffy scored a try against former club
Harlequins, as well as against
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
. He scored 4 tries for Connacht in the
Pro 12
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 ...
, starting all 22 of their games, as well as all six of their Heineken Cup matches.
For the 2012–13 season, Duffy did not play as regularly in the same positions for the side. This was primarily due to injuries, along with the emergence of the young
Robbie Henshaw and the continued use of
Dave McSharry, at Duffy's primary positions of
fullback and
inside centre
In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...
respectively. Duffy failed to play in any of Connacht's
2012–13 Heineken Cup matches, while his appearances in the
2012–13 Pro 12 went down to 16, 3 of these coming from the bench.
For the
2013–14 Pro 12 and
Heineken Cup, Duffy started out the season sharing the captaincy with both Muldoon and Connacht's longest serving player,
Michael Swift. However, after a poor run of form culminating in a 43-10 defeat against
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
,
Craig Clarke, a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
native and the former captain of the
Chiefs, was made Connacht's team captain.
It was announced in April 2014 that Duffy was one of a number of senior Connacht players that would not be having their contracts renewed and that he would leave the province at the end of the season. Duffy was one of a number of experienced players released, including the former international
Dan Parks, and fellow centurion
Frank Murphy
William Francis Murphy (April 13, 1890July 19, 1949) was an American politician, lawyer and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving ...
.
International career
Duffy has played for the
Ireland sevens team. He played in the
Dubai Sevens
The Dubai Sevens is an annual rugby sevens and social event held at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, UAE. Founded in 1970, the event is the longest running sports event in the Middle East.
Events
The Dubai Sevens has four competitions each year ...
in 2000.
In November 2001, he won his first
Ireland A cap against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
at
Ravenhill and his performances for Harlequins in the
2003–04 European Challenge Cup saw him called into the senior
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 the first time for the
2004 tour to South Africa.
He won his first cap on that trip when coming on as a replacement during the second test. In February 2005, he won his second cap when again coming on as a replacement against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, marking the occasion by scoring his first international try. He was selected to play at outside centre for Ireland in both summer Tests in Japan in 2005, scoring two tries in the second Test.
Duffy was the only Connacht player included in the Ireland squad for the
2007 Rugby World Cup. He was called up to the
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship, and the 117th edition of the international championship. The annual rugby unio ...
squad for the game 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 ...
.
Gaelic football
Duffy played
Gaelic football at a young age before becoming a professional rugby union player. He represented his native county of
Mayo Mayo often refers to:
* Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo"
* Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Mayo may also refer to:
Places
Antarctica
* Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land
Australia
* Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
at under-age level. Duffy played in the final of the 1999
All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under ...
, which the team lost 1–14 to 0–14 against
Down. The team included many players who went on to become regulars in the senior inter-county Mayo squad.
Following the end of his career with
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 Del ...
, Duffy expressed an interest in taking up Gaelic football again. Having lived in
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
during his career with the province, Duffy took up football with the local team
Salthill-Knocknacarra, who he had occasionally played with during his rugby career. He was then called up to train with Mayo's senior team by manager
James Horan James Horan may refer to:
* James Horan (actor) (born 1954), American character actor
* James Horan (cricketer) (1880–1945), Australian cricketer
* James Horan (Gaelic footballer)
James Horan (born 1972) is a Gaelic football manager and f ...
. Duffy was reportedly a 'stand-out performer' in training and was added to the panel.
Horan later said that although Duffy's skill-set was "a bit off where it needed to be", the management team were "very excited about where he is and how it's progressing".
Duffy trained with the county squad for the remainder of the season, but did not feature in the
2014 Championship before Mayo were knocked out by
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...
in a semi-final replay. In January 2015, Duffy was named in the starting team for Mayo in a competitive game for the first time. He was named in
midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...
alongside
Barry Moran
Barry Moran is a former Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Mayo county team until his retirement in July 2018. Moran also played club football for Castlebar Mitchels.
He started at midfield in the 2012 final which Mayo lost ...
, for the
FBD League fixture against
IT Sligo
The Institute of Technology, Sligo (ITS; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta, Sligeach) was an institute of technology, located in Sligo, Ireland. In April 2022, it was formally dissolved, and its functions became part of Atlantic Technological ...
.
References
External links
IRFU profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, Gavin
1981 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of Galway
Connacht Rugby players
Gaelic footballers who switched code
Galwegians RFC players
Harlequin F.C. players
Ireland international rugby sevens players
Ireland international rugby union players
Irish rugby union players
Mayo inter-county Gaelic footballers
University of Galway RFC players
People educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea
People from Ballina, County Mayo
Salthill-Knocknacarra Gaelic footballers
Rugby union players from County Mayo
Sportspeople from County Mayo