Hugo Keenan (born 18 June 1996) is an Irish professional

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 ...

player who plays as a fullback 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 ...

club

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

and the Ireland national team.

Early life

Keenan attended secondary school at Blackrock College. There he was a member of the team that won the 2014 Leinster Schools Senior Cup, with Keenan noted for his running and passing, including scoring a try in the final.

Professional career

Leinster

Keenan debuted for Leinster in 2016 against Zebre.

Ireland U20 and 7s

Keenan played wing for the Ireland under-20 national rugby union team. Keenan started all matches for the Ireland under-20 team during the 2016 under-20 Six Nations. He also started all matches in the 2016 World Rugby under-20 Championship, including Ireland's historic victory over New Zealand. Keenan was called into the

Ireland national rugby sevens team The Ireland national rugby sevens team competes in several international rugby sevens competitions. The team is governed by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Ireland competes as a "core team" on the World Rugby Sevens Series, a competitio ...

camp in early 2017. Keenan was part of the Ireland sevens team during the 2017 Grand Prix Series. He scored several tries during Ireland's win at the

2017 Moscow Sevens The 2017 Moscow Sevens was the opening tournament of the 2017 Rugby Europe Grand Prix Series, hosted by Oktyabr Stadium at Moscow. It was held over the weekend of 3–4 June 2017. Ireland won the tournament, defeating Spain 12–0 in the final. ...

, including a crucial try in Ireland's 28–21 semifinal win over Russia.

Ireland

Keenan debuted for

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 ...

on 24 October 2020 in a Six Nations match 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 ...

, where he started on the wing and scored two tries in a 50–17 win. Keenan then started Ireland's next 17 internationals (2020–2022), scoring tries against Georgia, Italy, USA, England and New Zealand. Keenan was recognized for his strong performance in Ireland’s win against England in the 2022 Six Nations. Keenan was described in March 2022 as the heir to

Rob Kearney Robert Kearney (born 26 March 1986) is an Irish rugby union former player. He played for 15 years for Leinster followed by a 6 month stint in Australia, playing for Perth based side Western Force. He also played over a decade for the Ireland n ...

at fullback for Ireland.

Playing style

Known for his defence, aerial skills and cunning ability to pick up loose kicks and engineer attacking plays for his team, 'The Fox' is considered one of the best fullbacks in the world.

Career statistics

List of international tries

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Keenan, Hugo 1996 births Irish rugby union players Living people Ireland international rugby sevens players University College Dublin R.F.C. players Leinster Rugby players People educated at Blackrock College Rugby union wings Rugby union players from Dublin (city) Rugby union fullbacks Ireland international rugby union players 2023 Rugby World Cup players