Kevin O'Brien (born 1955) is a former rugby union international who 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 ...

from 1980 to 1981.Kevin O'Brien Profile on scrum.com
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Early life

O'Brien was born on 5 June 1955 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Rugby union career

O'Brien played club rugby for

Broughton Park Broughton is a suburb and district of Salford, City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, on the east bank of the River Irwell, it is northwest of Manchester and south of Prestwich. Historically in Lancashire, Broughton was a township ...

and made his international debut on 19 January 1980 at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

in the

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 ...

match that was won by England 24-9. He later toured South Africa with Ireland in 1981. He came on against South Africa as a reserve in the 23-15 loss at Newlands Stadium,

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. He was selected to start against South Africa in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

at Kings Park Stadium. In that final match O'Brien scored a try, but Ireland narrowly lost 12 points to 10. He was a member of the famous North team which beat the All Blacks at Otley on 17 November 1979. He was one of four Broughton Park players in this side and was joined by teammates

Tony Neary Anthony Neary (born 25 November 1948) is a former England international rugby union player. He represented England at U18s basketball as well as rugby. He attended De La Salle College in Pendleton, Salford and Liverpool University before qual ...

, Tony Bond in the centre and Jim Sydall in the second row.NOWIRUL(E) TIMES ISSUE NO. 1
He also played for a World XV on 9 August 1980 against in Buenos Aires, losing 36-22.Player list for World XV
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References

1955 births Irish rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players Rugby union fullbacks Living people Lancashire County RFU players {{Ireland-rugbyunion-bio-stub