Liam O'Connor (born 13 July 1995) is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Munster.
| Date of birth | 13 July 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 110 kg (17 st; 240 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Christian Brothers College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
editO'Connor was born in Cork and first played rugby aged 7 with Dolphin RFC. He then attended Christian Brothers College and represented the school in Junior and Senior Cup rugby. He has played for Munster at Under-18, Under-19, Under-20 and 'A' level, as well as representing Ireland at Under-19 and Under-20 level.[1] O'Connor also played football at underage level for Delaneys and, aged just 16, played in goal for St. Nicks in the Cork Senior Football Championship.[2]
Munster
editOn 16 January 2016, O'Connor made his competitive debut for Munster when he came on as a substitute against Stade Français in a 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup fixture.[3][4] O'Connor made his first start for Munster on 1 September 2017, doing so in the sides opening fixture of the 2017–18 Pro14 against Benetton.[5] He signed a two-year senior contract with Munster in January 2018.[6] O'Connor was nominated for the 2018 John McCarthy Award for Academy Player of the Year in April 2018.[7] O'Connor made his return from a knee injury sustained during Munster's game against Ospreys in December 2017 in their fixture against Dragons on 26 January 2019.[8]
O'Connor signed a two-year contract extension with Munster in January 2020,[9] and signed a one-year contract extension in January 2022.[10] He featured off the bench in Munster's historic 28–14 win against a South Africa XV in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on 10 November 2022,[11] but was forced to retire on medical grounds upon the conclusion of the 2022–23 season.[12]
Honours
editMunster
edit- United Rugby Championship
- Winner (1): 2022–23
References
edit- ^ "The future is Bright: Liam O'Connor (First year academy)". Irish Independent. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ "Getting To Know Liam O'Connor". Munster Rugby. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ "Foley Names Side For Stade". Munster Rugby. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ "Munster Bounce Back In Style At Thomond". Munster Rugby. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
- ^ "Munster Off to Flying Start". Munster Rugby. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ "Contract Signings". Munster Rugby. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Munster Rugby Player Of The Year Nominees". Munster Rugby. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ "Report | Narrow Win For Munster". Munster Rugby. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "Six Players Commit To Munster". Munster Rugby. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ "Key Players Continue To Commit To Munster Rugby". Munster Rugby. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Report | Munster Secure Historic Victory Over SA Select XV". Munster Rugby. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ "Munster Rugby Departing Players Confirmed". Munster Rugby. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
External links
edit- Liam O'Connor at ESPNscrum
- Liam O'Connor at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Munster Profile
- URC Profile
- Liam O'Connor at European Professional Club Rugby
