Matt O'Connor (rugby union)

Matt O'Connor

Full name	Matthew Gerard O'Connor
Date of birth	29 January 1971
Place of birth	Canberra, Australia
Rugby union career
Current status
Position(s)	Co-head coach
Current team	Queensland Reds
Playing career
Position	Centre
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1994	Australia	1	(0)

Matt O'Connor (born 29 January 1971) is an Australian rugby union coach and a former international player. He is currently co-head coach of the Queensland Reds alongside Nick Stiles.^[1] O'Connor was previously head coach of Leicester Tigers where he won the Premiership in 2013, and head coach of Irish province Leinster where he won the Pro12 in 2013–14.^[2]

Playing career

O'Connor played rugby for the ACT in the 1990s and was awarded a single cap for the Wallabies against Ireland in 1994.^[2]

He signed for rugby league club the Hunter Mariners in 1996 however the club's existence was threatened by the Super League war so he only played in several trial matches that year.^[3] He played for Paris Saint-Germain in 1997.^[4] O'Connor spent three years in Japan playing for and then coaching Kubota Rugby Team. He lived in Japan with his wife and three children.

Coaching

Returning to Australia, O'Connor joined the Brumbies as a backline coach in Canberra. He was appointed head coach of Australia A for the Pacific Nations Cup competition.

O'Connor joined the Leicester Tigers as the backline coach under Heyneke Meyer, replacing another former Australian centre, Pat Howard. Leicester won the English Premiership in 2009. O'Connor remained as attack coach when Richard Cockerill took over as head coach for the following season with the club going on to win the Premiership again in 2010. Cockerill was promoted to the position of director of rugby and O'Connor was appointed head coach of Leicester in July 2010,^[5] and he was extremely influential in the Tigers Premiership win of 2013.

He was signed as the head coach of Irish province Leinster in 2013,^[6][7][8] and won the 2013–14 Pro12 title in his first season.^[9] The following season, when the team missed out on a play-off spot in the Pro12 and lost at the semi-final stage of the Champions Cup,^[10][11] O'Connor was sacked by Leinster after completing two years of a three-year contract.^[12][13]

O'Connor joined the Queensland Reds as attack coach for 2016. After Richard Graham was sacked two games into the season, O'Connor was appointed as co-interim head coach of the team alongside Nick Stiles.^[1]

References

1. "Queensland Reds sack head coach Richard Graham, Matt O'Connor and Nick Stiles appointed co-coaches". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 March 2016. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
2. "Matt O'Connor | Rugby Union | Players and Officials". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
3. Hunter Mariners 1908.com
4. Matt O'Connor rugbyleagueproject.org
5. "Matt O'Connor happy to leave Leicester Tigers legacy". British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
6. "Matt O'Connor to replace Joe Schmidt as Leinster head coach". Guardian. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
7. "Leinster confirm Matt O'Connor as the man to succeed Schmidt". Irish Independent. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
8. "Matt O'Connor to succeed Joe Schmidt as Leinster head coach". BBC Sport. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
9. "Leinster refusing to let their era end". Irish Independent. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
10. "Matt O’Connor to leave Leinster after two years in charge". The 42. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
11. "Matt O'Connor and Leinster part ways". Irish Examiner. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
12. "Matt O'Connor sacked by Leinster". RTE Sport. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
13. "Matt O'Connor on Leinster departure: 'I am disappointed and frustrated with our form in the PRO12 this season'". Irish Independent. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.

External links

• Matt O'Connor Leinster Rugby profile