Tommy O'Donnell (born 21 May 1987) is an Irish former

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 ...

player, who spent his entire career with his native province of

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

, whilst also earning 13 international caps for

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. 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 in European Professional Club Rugby c ...

on 22 September 2007, during a

Magners League The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...

fixture. He was part of the historic Munster team that beat

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

15–6 at

Thomond Park Thomond Park is a stadium in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Munster Rugby and has Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. Limerick FC played home games in Thomond Park from 2013 to 2015 in the Le ...

on 16 November 2010. He made his

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

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,

James Coughlan James Coughlan (born 9 December 1980) is a retired Irish rugby union player and current coach. Coughlan played primarily as a number 8 and represented Cork-based amateur club Dolphin in the All-Ireland League, his native province Munster an ...

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

Ronan O'Gara Ronan John Ross O'Gara (born 7 March 1977) is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. O'Gara played as a fly-half and is Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland's third most-capped player and second highest points scorer. He i ...

. 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-born 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 Bul ...

. 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 ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

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. i ...

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 t ...

. 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 is ...

. 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 pa ...

fixture against

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...

. 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 in their 2017–18 British and Irish Cup defeat at the hands of

Bedford Blues Bedford Blues are a semi-professional rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in the RFU Championship. History Foundation and 19th century Bedford RUFC was founded in 1886 after an amalgamation between Bedford Rove ...

. 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 Pro14, Celtic League. It is the first season to be referred to as t ...

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 (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

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 '' ...

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, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

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 Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...

in round 4 of the

Pro14 Rainbow Cup The Pro14 Rainbow Cup (also known as the Guinness Brewery, 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 C ...

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-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 (also known as Ireland A and Ireland B) are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. History The Wolfounds previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Sax ...

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 emerg ...

. 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. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. O'Donnell made his first start for Ireland against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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 ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

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

Emerging Ireland Emerging Ireland is an Irish international rugby union team that represents Irish Rugby Football Union, Ireland in selected matches, tours and competitions. Composed of Ireland qualified players only, mostly uncapped or at the beginning of their c ...

squad on 26 May 2014. He started against

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in their first

2014 IRB Nations Cup The 2014 IRB Nations Cup was the ninth edition of the international rugby union tournament, a competition created by the International Rugby Board. For the eighth time in a row, it was held in Bucharest, Romania. It was played between 13 and 22 Ju ...

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

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

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

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

on 22 June 2014, a win that secured the

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. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

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 South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

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 by E ...

on 1 February 2015. He started 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 ...

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 Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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 The IRB 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was ...

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. It ...

. 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 NatWest ...

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

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. 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 The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament conte ...

: **Winner (2):

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

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 St ...

**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. It is also a townland and civil parish. Location Ken ...

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

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