Irish Players Who Played Super rugby

wicklowwonder

Have any Irish players ever player Super 14/15 or any of the previous SANZAR club competitions? I know Brennan and I think Hayes went down under to help develop their careers but has any Irish players every made it onto a Super Rugby team?

GerM

Unless we consider the likes of Tom Court or Isaac Boss then I'm fairly sure the answer is no. The restrictions in NZ and Australia for foreign players are far tighter than here and were fairly non-existent for the first 10 years or so of Super Rugby so foreign players were minimal aside from the odd few in South Africa who have more relaxed guidelines.

wicklowwonder

So realistically no Irish player has ever made an impression in the Sanzar region? They get to see our best players every 2 years. Lions and World Cups and at these comps the "Golden Generation" haven't really covered themselves in glory. Lions won two tests out of 9 since 2001 and other than beating Australia on the World Cup this year we have never caused a ripple in the Southern Hemisphere. I know we have beaten South Africa and Australia in tests in the past few years but not in competition.

Who would be the highest profile player from Ireland in the Sanzar region? Brian O'Driscoll was the only player they could name a few years ago when I was there. Do you think there is anyone to step into his shoes when he retires and be a global superstar for Ireland?

bamboozle

the Claw played with Queensland Reds when he was banned up here after stamping over the french pack...

wicklowwonder

bamboozle wrote: »

the Claw played with Queensland Reds when he was banned up here after stamping over the french pack...

Did he play many games? I know he trained with them, I think Shane Jennings also trained with a team during a suspension, Jennings definitely wasn't aloud play, did the Claw play any Super10/12 as it probably was back then?

remwhite

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Did he play many games? I know he trained with them, I think Shane Jennings also trained with a team during a suspension, Jennings definitely wasn't aloud play, did the Claw play any Super10/12 as it probably was back then?

Think Jenno might have trained with a League team not Union.

Shanagarry80

Just because the players don't play S15 doesn't mean that they aren't known. I live in South Africa and most of the people here who know their rugby would be able to name most of Irish team. They would watch most of the 6 Nations games and there are also plenty of Heineken Cup/Guinness Premiership/Top 14 games shown too.

Downtime

Jennings trained with ACT Brumbies. Peter Clohessy played a number of games for the Reds in 1997 alongside Eales (who used kick the conversions), Kefu, Horan, Drahm, Tune, and alongside Dan Crowley and Michael Foley in the front row.

CatFromHue

David Gannon, who is now with Connacht, played with Southland in the ITM/NPC cup comp in New Zealand. This is the level below Super Rugby.

wicklowwonder

Shanagarry80 wrote: »

Just because the players don't play S15 doesn't mean that they aren't known. I live in South Africa and most of the people here who know their rugby would be able to name most of Irish team. They would watch most of the 6 Nations games and there are also plenty of Heineken Cup/Guinness Premiership/Top 14 games shown too.

South Africa is close enough to our time zone so games are played at "normal hours". So I imagine rugby fans will watch them.

I was more referring to New Zealand and Australia rugby fans. How many of them watch H Cup, 6 Nations etc? I was there for a while a few years ago and the locals laughed at the H Cup, and even the 6 Nations wasn't exactly rated.The only Irish player they really knew anything of was Brian O'Driscoll. They just don't seem to rank Northern Hemisphere rugby.

Monty Burnz

wicklowwonder wrote: »

I was more referring to New Zealand and Australia rugby fans. How many of them watch H Cup, 6 Nations etc? I was there for a while a few years ago and the locals laughed at the H Cup

This is reflective of their own ignorance to be honest. In the same way, I wouldn't take it personally as an Austrian or a Spaniard or whatever that ignorant Americans had never heard of my country.

wicklowwonder

Monty Burnz wrote: »

This is reflective of their own ignorance to be honest. In the same way, I wouldn't take it personally as an Austrian or a Spaniard or whatever that ignorant Americans had never heard of my country.

Well in the past year the five teams (IMHO) who have played the best rugby are:
New Zealand
Australia (Tri Nations)
Queensland Reds
Wales (World Cup)
Leinster

You maybe could add in a few other Super 15 teams like Crusaders. I think a Club World Cup would help the game of rugby unite. For example look at the amount of NZ journos who were hailing Sean O'Brien at the World Cup, yet he has played like that all year for Leinster. Yet there was a lot of Irish "fans" who were asking who Pocock was as well.

Imagine a Leinster v Queensland Red World Cup final.

Monty Burnz

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Imagine a Leinster v Queensland Red World Cup final.

It would be interesting, but you'd have huge logistical problems with fair venues, travelling fans (lack of) and in particular when to play the game, seeing as the two teams would be at opposite ends of theirs seasons.

[Jackass]

Clohessy played Super Rugby?? :eek: Wow, never knew that!!

I'd say the highest profile NH players in SANZAR region are Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and now, perhaps Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip & Stephen Ferris following all the coverage the Irish back-row got over there. O'Brien in particular.

endabob1

wicklowwonder wrote: »

South Africa is close enough to our time zone so games are played at "normal hours". So I imagine rugby fans will watch them.

I was more referring to New Zealand and Australia rugby fans. How many of them watch H Cup, 6 Nations etc? I was there for a while a few years ago and the locals laughed at the H Cup, and even the 6 Nations wasn't exactly rated.The only Irish player they really knew anything of was Brian O'Driscoll. They just don't seem to rank Northern Hemisphere rugby.

South African rugby fans generally know a good deal about NH rugby because apart form the pro12 we get the rest; 6 Nations, HC, Top 14 & Premiership are all on the equivalent to Sky.

Having lived in SA & Aus, Australians have little interest in rugby generally and even less interest in anything that doesn't involve one of their own. A good example was during the 2003 RWC they didn't show the Argentina v Ireland game on local TV, we had a Blossom Movie (I kid you not) I ended up watching it in a bar on a feed from Star satellite in Asia on my way to Watch England v Samoa. Two teams ranked in the top 6 in the world playing in the RWC being hopsted in the country & in the same group as Australia and it still wasn't deemed important enough for broadcast!!!

After the last Lions tour there was a lot of talk here about Irish players and trying to get them to play Super 14 as it was, & pre-world cup there was some talk about Kearney coming for game time but nothing ever came of it.
The only NH players here seem to end up at the Sharks, Michalak is there now & Andy Goode was there last year.

wicklowwonder

Monty Burnz wrote: »

It would be interesting, but you'd have huge logistical problems with fair venues, travelling fans (lack of) and in particular when to play the game, seeing as the two teams would be at opposite ends of theirs seasons.

Well have it in the Northern Hemisphere one year and Southern the year after, in terms of date the Heineken Cup runs from October to May on a normal year and the Super 15 from February to July so there is an overlap of four months to fit in the fixture. You could even have two finalists from each comp from the season before play each other in semis and then a Grand Final.

csm

yeah the NH rugby is on Setanta in Oz, which isn't included in the usual Sky Sports-type package. Nobody watches it.

In Queensland, they didn't even show the Aussie games live if it clashed with AFL or NRL club games, And they showed a re-run of friends instead of the opening ceremony!

Luckycharm

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Have any Irish players ever player Super 14/15 or any of the previous SANZAR club competitions? I know Brennan and I think Hayes went down under to help develop their careers but has any Irish players every made it onto a Super Rugby team?

I am pretty sure Brennan never played in any SANZAR comps he played for Toulouse, leinster, marys, bective and barnhall.
Hayes I think played some club rugby in NZ when very young.
Claw played for a short while for the reds, Gannon in ITM.
Neil Francis played a season in Sydney club rugby

wicklowwonder

Luckycharm wrote: »

I am pretty sure Brennan never played in any SANZAR comps he played for Toulouse, leinster, marys, bective and barnhall.
Hayes I think played some club rugby in NZ when very young.
Claw played for a short while for the reds, Gannon in ITM.
Neil Francis played a season in Sydney club rugby

I read Brennan's book a few years ago when it first came out and I am sure it mentions him playing for a club in New Zealand for a season. I think he came home with a broke nose. It was in his early career and I am not sure at what level. I will look it up when I go home, I have his book somewhere.

How many games did the Claw play?

Who did Francis play for? Was it in his early careers?

chupacabra

endabob1 wrote: »

After the last Lions tour there was a lot of talk here about Irish players and trying to get them to play Super 14 as it was, & pre-world cup there was some talk about Kearney coming for game time but nothing ever came of it.
The only NH players here seem to end up at the Sharks, Michalak is there now & Andy Goode was there last year.

Hernandez too.

ormond lad

wicklowwonder wrote: »

I read Brennan's book a few years ago when it first came out and I am sure it mentions him playing for a club in New Zealand for a season. I think he came home with a broke nose. It was in his early career and I am not sure at what level. I will look it up when I go home, I have his book somewhere.

How many games did the Claw play?

Who did Francis play for? Was it in his early careers?

Brennan did play in new zealand but it was not for any pro team, it was a normal club side. In the book brennan says it was a junior club in new zealand but the standard of rugby was about the same as the AIL. The bective coach at the time was a new zealander who knew of a club looking for a couple of players and brennan and another bective player headed down to new zealand for a few months

Luckycharm

wicklowwonder wrote: »

I read Brennan's book a few years ago when it first came out and I am sure it mentions him playing for a club in New Zealand for a season. I think he came home with a broke nose. It was in his early career and I am not sure at what level. I will look it up when I go home, I have his book somewhere.

How many games did the Claw play?

Who did Francis play for? Was it in his early careers?

Maybe let me know had not heard it - he could have done a years travelling like lots of Irish and played there. I played a season in Sydney- great fun.
Claw didn't play too many if I remember it was when he got banned for stamping on the French players head.

Neil Francis said it the other night on Setanta it was a sydney team - think it was Sydney uni - open to correction would have been early in his career

Heres one for you Gary Teichann famous South African number 8 played a season for Clontarf when young and Aaron maugher played for Sutton for a year when he was young.

wicklowwonder

chupacabra wrote: »

Hernandez too.

I imagine more Argentinians will play in Super 15 now Argentina are in are the Tri Nations.

razorblunt

A few NH players moved south with Cipriani that time too, Lipman and Delve.

GerM

Franno played with Manly after staying on following the 1987 WC. He wrote an article about it in the Tribune a few years back that is worth reading just for the absolute hilarity of it. He had no problem showing himself up for being the extremely talented utter waster that he is.

Mauger spent a spell with Suttonians and is still a very popular man there. One or two of his jerseys hang in the clubhouse.

endabob1

chupacabra wrote: »

Hernandez too.

wicklowwonder wrote: »

I imagine more Argentinians will play in Super 15 now Argentina are in are the Tri Nations.

I hadn't forgotten Hernandez but counted him out as being non NH, he was a bit injury prone when he was here iirc.

I certainly hope we get more Pumas here, their b/c team (Argentinian based players) won the Vodacom Cup (level below the Currie Cup) here in SA last year. A very nice gesture by SARU to build towards them playing in the Tri Nations, it would have been a good move to include an Argie team in the Super Rugby too. As it stands only Melbourne have an exemption on signing foreign players so unfortunately it's unlikely give financial incentives in Europe that we'll see too many

Luckycharm

Andy goode and Michalak played for the sharks in SA, one of the first NH players i remember playing Super rugby was Thierry Lacroix in Africa if memory serves.
Christian Califano french prop playing Super rugby in NZ for the Auckland blues

Podge_irl

I wouldn't complain about NZ/Aus people not knowing too much about European rugby. The time difference is a pain in the arse and I don't watch much S15/3N for that exact reason and my knowledge of their teams isn't exactly stellar.

GerM

Podge_irl wrote: »

I wouldn't complain about NZ/Aus people not knowing too much about European rugby. The time difference is a pain in the arse and I don't watch much S15/3N for that exact reason and my knowledge of their teams isn't exactly stellar.

They get completely screwed in terms of scheduling. Europe is the biggest rugby audience by a street so games are screened to accommodate us. There are very few S15 matches in NZ, if any, that don't take place at night so as to allow us to watch them on Saturday morning at a reasonable 8am rather than the middle of the night.The same is true of the Tri-Nations. On the other side we have our 6N and HEC games on at any time from 1pm to 8pm with the semi finals and final generally being on in the late afternoon which completely screws over anyone in NZ or Australia wanting to watch the games. The average rugby fan down that part of the world would get to see very little of our rugby unless they really went out of their way.

Podge_irl

GerM wrote: »

Saturday morning at a reasonable 8am

We have monstrously different definitions of the word reasonable...

:P

dtpc191991

It has been rumoured that they tried to get BOD to go down there a few years ago. I'm not sure exactly how true that is

bamboozle

Nick Popplewell and Johnny Spud Murphy played club rugby in Oz also...