Tommy O'Donnell (born 21 May 1987) 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 ...

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, who spent his entire career with his native province of Munster, whilst also earning 13 international caps 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 ...

. After retiring in 2021, O'Donnell moved into coaching and joined Munster's academy staff in 2022.

Early life

O'Donnell began playing rugby for Clanwilliam at an underage level, before progressing to senior level. He also played for East Munster and Irish Youths whilst at Clanwilliam.

Munster

O'Donnell made his Munster debut against

Scarlets The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...

on 22 September 2007, during a Magners League fixture. He was part of the historic Munster team that beat Australia 15–6 at

Thomond Park Thomond Park is a stadium in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and has Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. Limerick FC played home games in Thomond Park fr ...

on 16 November 2010. He made his Heineken Cup debut off the bench during Munster's 19–13 victory against Scarlets on 18 December 2011. He signed a new two-year contract with Munster in March 2012. O'Donnell made his first Heineken Cup start in the quarter-final against Ulster on 8 April 2012. He was named Munster Player of the Year for the 2012–13 season, following in the footsteps of teammates

Donnacha Ryan Donnacha Ryan (born 11 December 1983) is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. Ryan spent most of his career representing his native province Munster, spending 13 seasons at the club, before moving to French club Racing 92 in 2 ...

, James Coughlan, Mick O'Driscoll, David Wallace, John Hayes and

Ronan O'Gara Ronan John Ross O'Gara ( ga, Rónán Ó Gadhra; born 7 March 1977) is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. O'Gara played as a fly-half and is Ireland's second most-capped player and highest ever points scorer. He is currently ...

. O'Donnell signed a new contract with Munster in November 2013 which will see him remain with the province until June 2016. He made his return from a knee injury sustained in September 2013 for Munster A on 6 December 2013. He was nominated for the 2015 Munster Rugby Senior Player of the Year Award in April 2015. O'Donnell won his 100th cap for Munster on 25 April 2015, scoring a try in the 30–19 win against Benetton and winning the Man-of-the-Match award. He was named in the

2014–15 Pro12 The 2014–15 Pro12 (also known as the ''Guinness Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, and the fifth with its current four-country format. It was ...

Dream Team, alongside teammate

CJ Stander Christiaan Johan Stander (born 5 April 1990) is a South African-Irish former rugby union player. Stander's career began in his native South Africa, where he played for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup between 2010 and 2012 and for the Bulls in ...

. In December 2015, O'Donnell signed a three-year contract with Munster. On 27 December 2015, O'Donnell made his return from the injury he sustained during the World Cup with Ireland, coming off the bench against

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 ...

during a

2015–16 Pro12 The 2015–16 Pro12 (also known as the ''Guinness Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the fifteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, and the sixth with its current four-country format. it ...

game. On 3 September 2016, O'Donnell won the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's win against

in the opening round of the

2016–17 Pro12 The 2016–17 Pro12 (also known as the ''Guinness Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the sixteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, and the seventh with a four-country format. It was the ...

. On 11 November 2016, O'Donnell captained Munster for the first time and led them to a historic 27–14 win against the

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing i ...

. O'Donnell won his 150th cap for Munster on 21 October 2017, doing so in the

2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup The 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup was the fourth European Rugby Champions Cup championship (23rd overall), the annual rugby union club competition for teams from the top six nations in European rugby and was the twenty-third season of pan ...

fixture against

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French rugby union club based in suburban Paris that was formed in 2001 with the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and US Métro. They were called Racing Métro 92 between 2001 and 2015, when they changed the name ...

. O'Donnell made his return from a shoulder injury sustained in early November 2017 on 8 December 2017, playing the full 80 minutes for

Munster A Munster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Mumhan) is one of the four professional provincial rugby union, rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the Iris ...

in their 2017–18 British and Irish Cup defeat at the hands of Bedford Blues. However, O'Donnell suffered a recurrence of the shoulder injury during Munster's

2017–18 Pro14 The 2017–18 PRO14 (also known as the ''Guinness PRO14'' for sponsorship reasons) was the seventeenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It is the first season to be referred to as the ''Gu ...

round 18 win against

which subsequently required surgery, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. He scored two tries in Munster's 64–7 win against

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 ...

in round 5 of the

2018–19 Pro14 The 2018–19 Pro14 (also known as the '' Guinness Pro14'' for sponsorship reasons) is the eighteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the second season to be referred to as the ''Pr ...

on 29 September 2018. O'Donnell signed a two-year contract extension with Munster in October 2018, a deal that will see him remain with the province until at least June 2021. He suffered an ankle injury during Munster's Champions Cup win 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 ...

on 20 October 2018; he returned from the injury during Munster's fixture against

on 21 December 2018. After 14 seasons with the province, O'Donnell retired at the end of the 2020–21 season. His final appearance for the province was in their 31–27 win against Cardiff Blues in round 4 of the

Pro14 Rainbow Cup The Pro14 Rainbow Cup (also known as the Guinness Pro14 Rainbow Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a professional rugby union end-of-season cup competition played in 2021 that consisted of two separate tournaments: the Rainbow Cup for twelve Europe ...

on 28 May 2021. O'Donnell joined Munster's academy staff as an elite player development officer ahead of the 2022–23 season.

Ireland

O'Donnell has been capped for Ireland at under-18 and under-20 level and was part of the under-20

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

-winning team in 2007. He received his first senior call-up on 21 January 2013 when he was drafted into Ireland's

2013 Six Nations Championship The 2013 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2013 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship ...

training squad. O'Donnell made his debut for

Ireland Wolfhounds The Ireland Wolfhounds (formerly Ireland A and Ireland B) are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. They previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons, the national teams ...

on 25 January 2013, starting in the friendly against

England Saxons England A is England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England Saxons. England A play a key role in the development of emer ...

. He was added to Ireland's Six Nations squad for the fixture 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 ...

on 18 February 2013. O'Donnell was named in the Ireland squad for the 2013 Ireland tour to North America on 19 May 2013. He made his debut for the senior Ireland team on 8 June 2013, coming on as a replacement against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. O'Donnell made his first start for Ireland against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on 15 June 2013, also scoring his first try for Ireland in the game. O'Donnell started for

in their friendly against

on 25 January 2014. On 27 January 2014, O'Donnell was named in Ireland's 34-man squad for the opening two fixtures of the

2014 Six Nations Championship The 2014 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2014 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 15th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. ...

. He came off the bench against

on 2 February 2014. O'Donnell came off the bench against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

on 8 February 2014. O'Donnell was selected in the

Emerging Ireland Emerging Ireland is an Irish rugby union team that represents Ireland in the World Rugby Nations Cup. History 2013 Tbilisi Cup The team was created to offer Tier 1 level opposition for Tier 2 sides in the IRB Tbilisi Cup, held in Tbilisi, Georgia ...

squad on 26 May 2014. He started against

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

in their first 2014 IRB Nations Cup match on 13 June 2014, scoring a try. O'Donnell started in their second game against

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

on 18 June 2014. He came off the bench in the 31–10 win

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

on 22 June 2014, a win that secured the 2014 IRB Nations Cup for Emerging Ireland. O'Donnell was named in the Ireland squad for the 2014 November Tests on 21 October 2014. He came off the bench during the 29–15 win 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 8 November 2014. O'Donnell started in the 49–7 win against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

on 16 November 2014. He was named in the Ireland squad for the opening rounds of the

2015 Six Nations Championship The 2015 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 16th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union tournament. It was contested b ...

on 1 February 2015. He started 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 ...

on 7 February 2015, scoring a try in Ireland's 26–3 win. He came off the bench in the 19–9 win against

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 ...

on 1 March 2015. England's failure to score enough points against France meant Ireland won the 2015 Six Nations Championship, the first time Ireland had won back-to-back championships since 1948–49. O'Donnell was named in the 45-man training squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup on 24 June 2015. He started in the first World Cup warm-up against Wales on 8 August 2015, but went off injured in the second half. On 10 August 2015, it was confirmed that O'Donnell had dislocated his hip, requiring a minimum of 6 weeks non-weight bearing activity, ruling him out of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. On 20 January 2016, O'Donnell was named in Ireland's 35-man squad for the

2016 Six Nations Championship The 2016 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2016 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by The Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 17th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. I ...

. On 7 February 2016, O'Donnell started against Wales in Ireland's opening match of the Six Nations. On 13 February 2016, O'Donnell came off the bench against France to replace Seán O'Brien after he went off injured. On 23 January 2017, O'Donnell was named in the Ireland squad for the opening two rounds of the

2017 Six Nations Championship The 2017 Six Nations Championship was the 18th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. The tournament was also known as the RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by The Roya ...

. O'Donnell was also selected in the squad for the 2017 Summer Tour against the

and Japan. However, an ankle injury ruled O'Donnell out of the tour.

Statistics

International analysis by opposition

Correct as of 10 August 2019

Honours

Ireland

* Six Nations Championship: **Winner (2):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015

Emerging Ireland

World Rugby Nations Cup The Nations Cup is a rugby union competition that was first held in 2006 at Estádio Universitário in Lisbon with Argentina A, Italy A, Portugal and Russia taking part. The tournament is part of the International Rugby Board's US $50 million S ...

**Winner (1): (

)

Personal life

On 24 June 2016, O'Donnell married Elisse O'Grady in

Kenmare Kenmare () is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of ''Ceann Mara'', meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay. Location Kenmare is located at the head of Kenmare Ba ...

, County Kerry.

References

External links

Ireland ProfileMunster ProfilePro14 Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Tommy Living people 1987 births People from Cahir Rugby union players from County Tipperary Irish rugby union players UL Bohemians R.F.C. players Munster Rugby players Munster Rugby captains Ireland Wolfhounds international rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players Rugby union flankers Rugby union number eights