Malcolm O'Kelly
Encyclopedia
Malcolm O'Kelly is a retired Irish rugby union
player who played as a lock for Ireland
and Leinster
.
The 6 inch O'Kelly, who made his international début in 1997 against New Zealand
, became a talisman of the Irish side and was Ireland's all-time caps
leader, surpassing Mike Gibson, on 12 February 2005 when he started in Ireland's Six Nations
fixture against Scotland
. O'Kelly not only earned his 70th cap, but scored Ireland's first try in the match, giving them a lead they never relinquished. O'Kelly has since been surpassed by Brian O'Driscoll, but earned 92 test caps in his career.
O'Kelly also played with the Lions
on their tour to Australia, and had been named in the Lions squad for their 2005 tour of New Zealand
, but aggravated a groin injury in training and was replaced by Simon Shaw
. He has five Lions caps.
At the end of the 09/10 season, O'Kelly announced his retirement from professional rugby. He is the only player in the Heineken cup to have played since the start of the competition – 15 years. He has won a grand slam, the Heineken cup, the Magners League(3) and 5 Triple Crowns: he is also Ireland's most capped second row. As well as that, he is a two time British and Irish Lion.
O'Kelly attended Templeogue College
secondary school in Dublin. He has played for the Barbarians FC three times, wearing his old school socks.
O'Kelly completed a B.A. in Engineering at Trinity College, Dublin
between 1992 and 1996.
O'Kelly is a supporter of the children's charity Plan Ireland and is a committee member of the rugby sevens
club, Shamrock Warriors RFC
.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who played as a lock for Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
and Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
.
The 6 inch O'Kelly, who made his international début in 1997 against New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
, became a talisman of the Irish side and was Ireland's all-time caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
leader, surpassing Mike Gibson, on 12 February 2005 when he started in Ireland's Six Nations
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
fixture against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
. O'Kelly not only earned his 70th cap, but scored Ireland's first try in the match, giving them a lead they never relinquished. O'Kelly has since been surpassed by Brian O'Driscoll, but earned 92 test caps in his career.
O'Kelly also played with the Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
on their tour to Australia, and had been named in the Lions squad for their 2005 tour of New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
, but aggravated a groin injury in training and was replaced by Simon Shaw
Simon Shaw
Simon Dalton Shaw MBE is an English rugby union player who plays at lock for Toulon and England.-Biography:...
. He has five Lions caps.
At the end of the 09/10 season, O'Kelly announced his retirement from professional rugby. He is the only player in the Heineken cup to have played since the start of the competition – 15 years. He has won a grand slam, the Heineken cup, the Magners League(3) and 5 Triple Crowns: he is also Ireland's most capped second row. As well as that, he is a two time British and Irish Lion.
O'Kelly attended Templeogue College
Templeogue College
Templeogue College is a secondary school, located in the Templeogue area of Dublin, Ireland. It is on the R112 and is within walking distance of Terenure, Templeogue and is accessible by numerous Dublin Bus services including: 54A, 15A, 15B, 49, 150, 74/A, and 65/BTempleogue College was founded in...
secondary school in Dublin. He has played for the Barbarians FC three times, wearing his old school socks.
O'Kelly completed a B.A. in Engineering at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
between 1992 and 1996.
O'Kelly is a supporter of the children's charity Plan Ireland and is a committee member of the rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
club, Shamrock Warriors RFC
Shamrock Warriors RFC
Shamrock Warriors RFC is a Rugby sevens club founded in 2009 by former Leinster out-half Fergal Campion. They are the only 7's club in Ireland endorsed by the Irish Rugby Football Union and will represent Ireland as the only official Irish 7's team competing at the top level tournaments in...
.
External links
- Leinster profile
- Ireland Profile
- Profile at sporting-heroes.net, including caps from 1997–2000 (retrieved 6 February 2005)
- Profile at sporting-heroes.net, including caps from 2001–2002 (retrieved 6 February 2005)
- Profile at sporting-heroes.net, including caps from 2003–present (retrieved 6 February 2005)