Trevor Brennan (born 29 September 1973) is an Irish former
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. He played for
Barnhall,
Bective Rangers,
St Marys College RFC,
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 ...
,
Stade Toulousain and
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 ...
, being capped 13 times. He played either in the
second row or as a
flanker. In 2007 he attacked a fan and was banned for life, later reduced to five years.
Career
Born in
Leixlip
Leixlip ( or ; , IPA: lʲeːmʲənˠˈwɾˠad̪ˠaːnʲ is a town in north-east County Kildare, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border betwee ...
,
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 ...
, Brennan began his career with Barnhall. He captained St Mary's College RFC to their first AIB League title in 2000.
Brennan made his debut for 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 ...
team in a 13-37 defeat against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
on 13 June
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
and went on to make 13 test appearances, including the
1999 Rugby World Cup. During this tournament that Brennan's abrasive image was tested, after a fight with Australia's
Toutai Kefu, who was aided by two teammates who held Brennan's arms back.
After leaving Leinster for
Stade Toulousain, Brennan fell out of favour with the Irish national team. He subsequently went on to play in three consecutive European Cup finals as part of the Stade Toulousain team, with two wins (Perpingnan 2003, Stade Français 2005) and one defeat (against Wasps 2004).
Ban and retirement
During a Toulouse v
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
match at the
Stade Ernest Wallon on 21 January 2007, Brennan jumped into a section of the crowd housing Ulster supporters and struck a male spectator. Brennan alleged afterwards that abuse towards his apparent "watered-down pints" in his Toulouse bar triggered his action. His uncle took this further alleging
sectarian abuse had taken place, a claim initially supported by the club before swiftly being retracted. In their investigation of the incident European Rugby found no such abuse took place. They found that Brennan was being baited over the standard of the bar he co-owns in Toulouse.
Brennan announced his retirement on 3 March 2007, before the result of the disciplinary process. For his attack he was banned for life from playing rugby, fined £17,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 compensation to Bamford.
In June 2007, the ban was reduced to a 5-year suspension following an appeal. It was held that the life ban was 'disproportionate' to the offence. Bamford's recollection of events was recorded in the Independent Appeal Committee Decision's statement.
Following his retirement, Brennan and his family have remained in Toulouse, where he owns an Irish bar. He coached the Toulouse Crabos B under 18 team. Brennan has had occasional columns, written by
Gerry Thornley, published in the ''Irish Times'', and has appeared on television as a rugby commentator. After his retirement, he began operating a rugby tours company.
In 2007, Brennan's autobiography ''Heart and Soul'', ghost-written by Gerry Thornley, won the
William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year
The William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year was an annual Irish literary award sponsored by bookmakers William Hill. Established in 2006, it was related to the International William Hill Sports Book of the Year (est. 1989). The award sought ...
.
In 2008, Ireland rugby fitness coach Mike McGurn and Brennan were part of the Ireland
International rules football
International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...
coaching staff in the International rules series against Australia. Both Brennan and McGurn played
Gaelic football in their youth and were invited by the Irish manager
Seán Boylan and the
GAA to give their expertise from rugby in the game which is a mix of
Aussie Rules
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
and Gaelic football.
As of 2023, his sons (born 1998) and (born 2001) were both playing in the
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...
and had represented
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
at youth levels.
Trevor Brennan's Sons Played In The Same Top 14 Game At The Weekend
PJ Browne, Balls.ie, 30 November 2021
References
External links
Trevor Brennan's Ireland profile
Brennan Rugby Tours website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brennan, Trevor
1973 births
Living people
Irish rugby union players
Ireland international rugby union players
Irish expatriate sportspeople in France
Leinster Rugby players
St Mary's College RFC players
Bective Rangers players
Rugby union locks
Rugby union flankers
People from Leixlip
Sportspeople from County Kildare
Stade Toulousain players
Expatriate rugby union players in France
Irish expatriate rugby union players
Irish emigrants to France
Sportspeople convicted of crimes
Irish people convicted of assault