Jason David O'Halloran (born 28 February 1972 in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

, New Zealand) is an

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

cap and

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

coach. He is currently an Assistant Coach to

Vern Cotter Vernon Anthony Cotter (born 27 January 1962) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. He currently coaches the Blues (Super Rugby), Blues in Super Rugby. He started his coaching career at Bay of Plenty including winning the Ranfur ...

at the

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

. He was previously an assistant coach at

Suntory Sungoliath Tokyo Sungoliath (formerly known as Suntory Sungoliath) is owned by the Suntory beverage company and is one of the Japanese rugby union teams in the Top League. The team is based in Fuchū, Tokyo, as is their local rival Toshiba Brave Lupus. The t ...

and was the assistant coach at

Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...

. Before that he was an assistant coach to the Scotland national team. He was the head coach of Manawatu's provincial rugby union side in New Zealand. He has previously been the head coach of

Top League Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...

side, the

Kubota Spears Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay (commonly known as the Kubota Spears) is a Japanese rugby union team based in Funabashi, Chiba participating in the Japan Rugby League One. The team rebranded as Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay ahead of the r ...

. O'Halloran had played 95 games and scored 35 tries for

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

between 1993 and 2001 and 54 games with 17 tries for the

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Super 12 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

level from the inaugural 1996 season. He was also often the Wellington and Hurricanes captain. He had international experience as well after he received his first and only

cap when he went on for the final few minutes of the international against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

late in the 2000 season. O'Halloran is the grandson of Con O'Halloran, who played for Wellington in the 1930s and was a product of the Petone club, who Jason also played for.

Playing career

Early career: 1987–91

O'Halloran first represented New Zealand, while he was a pupil at

Hutt Valley High School Hutt Valley High School is a State school, state coeducational secondary school located in central Lower Hutt, New Zealand. A total of students from Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18) attend the school as of making the school one of the largest ...

, when selected for the New Zealand Under 17 team in 1988 and 1989. He then vice-captained the Under 19 team in 1991, before making his first appearance for Wellington in 1993. Previous representative honours included North Island Under 16.

Domestic career: 1993–01

Despite being an insulin-dependent diabetic, O'Halloran performed with distinction in 95 games for

between 1993 and 2001 and in 54 games for the

between 1996–2001. A perceptive playmaker and astute tactician, O’Halloran was often the unsung hero in a backline glittering with big-name stars, with his 35 tries for

and 17 for the

all scored from the midfield testament to his ability. This included a hat trick against the

in 1998. O’Halloran was also a try scorer for

in their 2000 NPC final win over

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

. That was the highlight of his career and earned him at 28 overdue

recognition.

International career: 1998–00

Additionally he was an

trialist in 1998 and later that year played for New Zealand A against

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and then as captain against

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and

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

. O'Halloran received his

cap when he went on for the final few minutes of the international against

in late

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. New Zealand won 56–19. For until then there seemed every chance that the only other

appearance O'Halloran had made, on the way to

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against the Asian Barbarians, would not entitle him to official recognition as a New Zealand representative. Because of replacement breaches by both sides this game was ruled null and void as a first class fixture. And subsequently when the All Black touring party reached Europe for internationals against

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and

O'Halloran had to drop out for the first week or so because of a family bereavement. But fortunately he returned in time to be included for the 22-man squad against

Japanese career: 2002–04

At the end of the 2001 season O’Halloran took up a three-year playing contract in Japan with the

between 2002 and 2004.

Coaching career

In October 2007 he was appointed High Performance Academy Manager by the

Manawatu Rugby Union The Manawatu Rugby Football Union (MRU) serves as the governing body of the sport of rugby union in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Founded in 1886, Manawatu is one of New Zealand's oldest rugby unions. In 1892, the MRU, amongst ...

, having spent the previous two seasons coaching at Japanese club,

Kubota is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Osaka. It was established in 1890. The corporation produces many products including tractors and other agricultural machinery, Heavy equipment, construction equipment, engines, vending machines, P ...

. In 2009 he was selected as a co-coach for the Hurricanes Secondary Schools team that retained the National Secondary Schools title. In October 2011 he was appointed as Head Coach of the

Manawatu Turbos The Manawatu Rugby Football Union (MRU) serves as the governing body of the sport of rugby union in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Founded in 1886, Manawatu is one of New Zealand's oldest rugby unions. In 1892, the MRU, amongs ...

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team, succeeding

Dave Rennie Dave Rennie (born 22 November 1963) is a New Zealand and Cook Islands professional rugby union coach and former player. He will take over the Kobe Steelers as head coach for the 2023–24 season. He previously was the head coach of the Austral ...

who moved to the Chiefs.

Scotland

In May 2015, it was announced by Vern Cotter that O'Halloran was to be a backline for the Scottish team for the 2015 RWC.

Glasgow Warriors

In October 2016 it was announced that O'Halloran would be an assistant coach for

. O'Halloran would take on this role in May 2017. He left

in 2020, having taken them to a Pro14 final in 2019 with

. On leaving the club, O'Halloran said "Scotstoun is a very special place and I am proud to have worked with so many excellent players, who care so much for the club."

Suntory Goliath

It was announced that O'Halloran would join Suntory Goliath as Assistant Coach on 10 June 2020. O'Halloran stated: "Suntory have a reputation for playing a fast paced, attacking brand of rugby and this fits nicely with my own personal philosophy toward the game."

Blues

In July 2023 it was announced that O'Halloran was signed on for two years as Assistant Coach to

, the new Head Coach of the

. In February 2024 O'Halloran took medical leave from the Blues role to work through personal medical issues related to his diabetes. The club website stated Jason had no set return date and in his absence Tony Brown would step in on a short-term coaching consultant role.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OHalloran, Jason New Zealand rugby union coaches New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Japan 1972 births Living people Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay players Wellington rugby union players Hurricanes (rugby union) players Rugby union centres Rugby union players from Lower Hutt People educated at Hutt Valley High School Glasgow Warriors coaches Expatriate rugby union coaches