Conor O'Shea

Conor O'Shea
Full name Conor Michael Patrick O'Shea
Date of birth (1970-10-21) 21 October 1970
Place of birth Limerick, Republic of Ireland
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 100 kilograms (16 st)
School Terenure College
University University College Dublin
Rugby union career
Current status
Position(s) Director of Rugby
Current team Harlequins
Playing career
Position Fullback
Amateur clubs
Years Club / team
Lansdowne
Professional / senior clubs
Years Club / team Caps (points)

1995-2000		 Leinster
London Irish
127
(412)
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
1993-2000 Ireland 35 (44)
Coaching career
Years Club / team
2000-2005
2010–2016
2016–		 London Irish
Harlequins
Italy

Conor O'Shea (Irish: Conchúir Ó Sé) (born 21 October 1970, County Limerick)[1] is a former rugby union player who played at full back and occasionally at out-half and centre for Ireland, Lansdowne and London Irish. He is currently Director of Rugby at Harlequins, but will leave this role at the end of the 2015/16 season to take up the head coaching role of the Italian national team, replacing French man Jacques Brunel.[2][3]

Early life and education

O'Shea went to Terenure College in Dublin, which is one of the main rugby nurseries in Ireland. He was coached by the respected John McClean. He attended University College Dublin where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and began his representative career.[4] O'Shea then completed a Diploma in Legal Studies at the Dublin Institute of Technology[4] and a Master's of Sports Science degree in Sports Management in 1996 from the United States Sports Academy, known around the world as America's Sports University.[5]

His father, Jerome, was a famous Gaelic football player in the 1950s and won All-Ireland Championship medals with Kerry in 1953, 1955 and 1959.

Career

Playing

O'Shea won the inter-provincial championship in Ireland with Leinster and the Leinster Senior Cup with Lansdowne.

An ankle injury sustained while playing for London Irish against Gloucester in November 2000 curtailed a very promising career which included 35 international caps for Ireland scoring 44 points, including six tries.

O'Shea served London Irish as player, captain, Director of Rugby and finally managing director. He joined London Irish in 1995 and made 127 first team appearances for the club scoring 412 points including 62 tries.

In 1999 he was awarded the Zurich Players’ Player of the Season Award. He then won the Zurich Rugby Director of the Season Award (jointly with Brendan Venter in 2002 after London Irish won the Powergen Cup against Northampton Saints.

Coaching

O'Shea left London Irish in 2005 to take up an appointment with the Rugby Football Union as Director of Regional Academies. His job was to oversee the network of 14 England regional academies and lead the selection and monitoring of players capable of developing into future England internationals. In 2008 he left his position with the RFU to take up a role with the English Institute of Sport as National Director.[6]

In 2007 O'Shea was called upon by the RFU to give a talk to the England squad before playing Ireland for the first time at Croke Park to acquaint the players with the sporting and political history of the ground.

O'Shea also works as a television analyst on RTÉ in Ireland.

On 16 December 2009, Harlequins announced that O'Shea would become their new Director of Rugby.[7] He started his new position on 15 March 2010.[8]

On 20 January 2016, Harlequins announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, after 6 years in the Director of Rugby role.[9] During his time with the club he won the Premiership, the European Challenge Cup and the LV Cup.[10]

On 25 March 2016, after months of speculation, O'Shea was named the new head coach of the Italian national team, who will start his first International appointment on 1 June 2016, before guiding Italy on their tour of the Americas against Argentina, Canada and the United States.

Honours

London Irish
Harlequins

References

  1. ↑ Conor O'Shea player profile Scrum.com statistics
  2. ↑ LA FIR UFFICIALIZZA LA NUOVA STRUTTURA TECNICA : CONOR O’SHEA NOMINATO CT DELLA SQUADRA NAZIONALE
  3. ↑ Harlequins boss confirmed as new Italy coach
  4. 1 2 "Conor O'Shea - Personally Speaking Bureau". Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "United States Sports Academy". Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "CONOR O'SHEA NAMED AS NEW EIS NATIONAL DIRECTOR". Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  7. ↑ Butler, Sarah (16 December 2009). "Harlequins announce new Director of Rugby". quins.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  8. ↑ Butler, Sarah (9 March 2010). "Conor O'Shea start date". quins.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  9. ↑ "CONOR O’SHEA TO LEAVE HARLEQUINS AT THE END OF THE SEASON". quins.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Harlequins director of rugby Conor O’Shea to leave club at end of season". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2016.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
France Jacques Brunel		 Italy National Rugby Union Coach
2016–Present 		Succeeded by
present
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