Kevin O'Byrne (born 16 April 1991) is an Irish rugby union player for English club Ealing Trailfinders in the RFU Championship. He plays as a hooker.
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| Date of birth | 16 April 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (16.5 st; 231 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Presentation Brothers College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
editHe captained the Munster under-18s club side during the 2008–09 inter-provincials and was part of Highfield under-18s All-Ireland winning squad in 2009.[1]
Career
editMunster
editO'Byrne made his Munster debut on 5 September 2014, starting against Edinburgh in the first game of the 2014–15 Pro12 season.[2] He signed a one-year development contract with Munster in March 2015.[3] On 3 September 2016, O'Byrne went off injured in Munster's 2016–17 Pro12 fixture against Scarlets. He was subsequently ruled out for 3 months with an elbow injury.[4]
O'Byrne made his European Rugby Champions Cup debut for Munster on 21 October 2017, doing so when he came on as a replacement for Rhys Marshall in the round 2 fixture against Racing 92.[5][6] He scored his first try for Munster on 3 November 2017, having come on as a replacement in the 2017–18 Pro14 fixture against Welsh side Dragons, which Munster won 49–6.[7]
He signed a two-year contract extension with Munster in January 2018.[8] He earned the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 30–26 away win against South African side Cheetahs during the 2018–19 Pro14 on 4 November 2018.[9] O'Byrne won his 50th cap for Munster in their opening 2019–20 Pro14 fixture against Welsh side Dragons on 28 September 2019, a match Munster won 39–9.[10]
He signed a two-year contract extension with Munster in March 2020, a deal that will see O'Byrne remain with the province until at least June 2022.[11] O'Byrne was rewarded for a series of strong performances by being named in the 2020–21 Pro14 Dream Team.[12] O'Byrne will depart Munster at the end of the 2021–22 season.[13]
Ealing Trailfinders
editO'Byrne will join English RFU Championship side Ealing Trailfinders from the 2022–23 season.[13]
Honours
editIndividual
- United Rugby Championship Dream Team: 2020–21[12]
References
edit- ^ "Podcast | The Crooked Feed – Kevin O'Byrne". Munster Rugby. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ "Munster Lose Opener To Edinburgh". Munster Rugby. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "Front Row Trio Sign Up". Munster Rugby. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "Player Update". Munster Rugby. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Munster Side Named For Racing 92". Munster Rugby. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "Gutsy Win in Thomond". Munster Rugby. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ "Too much firepower for Dragons". Munster Rugby. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ "Contract Signings". Munster Rugby. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Report | Munster Down Cheetahs In Thriller". Munster Rugby. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Report | Bonus-Point Win Over Dragons At Thomond". Munster Rugby. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "Kilcoyne & O'Byrne Sign Contract Extensions". Munster Rugby. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Guinness PRO14 Dream Team | de Allende, Holland and O'Byrne Included". Munster Rugby. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Ealing Trailfinders Sign Kevin O'Byrne". Ealing Trailfinders. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.