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Donncha
O'Callaghan

Donncha O'Callaghan is a retired lock who played for Ireland and the British & Irish Lions.

Donncha O'Callaghan Bio

Donncha O'Callaghan is a retired lock who spent most of his domestic career with Munster and played for Ireland as well as the British & Irish Lions. Famed for his tough tackling, towering figure, dedication and work rate, he’s a popular former player who many feel is one of Ireland’s best ever.
 
Born in Cork, Ireland in March 1979, Donncha O'Callaghan first turned to rugby during his education and played as a youth for Highfield Rugby Club in the city of his birth. He also trained as a youth with a number of Gaelic football sides, before making rugby union his main sport. His amateur career began with Christian Brothers College in Cork, from which he was scouted and played for the Irish under 19s, winning the championships of 1998.
 
Donncha O'Callaghan then went professional the season after this, signing for Munster, one of Ireland’s leading provincial sides. It was at Munster where he thrived and really made a name for himself as a player, going on to make over 250 appearances for the team. During his time with Munster he earned a number of awards and accolades. Just a few examples include: Heineken Cup wins in the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons and title wins in 2008-09 and 2010-11 in the former Celtic League.

He made his final appearance for Munster as captain in 2015, before then moving to join Premiership Rugby side Worcester Warriors on a two-year deal. He featured in every Premiership game in his first season and was awarded the ‘Supporters Club Player of the Season’ in 2016. He then retired from the game in April 2018.
 
On the international scene, Donncha O'Callaghan enjoyed an equally glittering career both for the Ireland national team, the British & Irish Lions and the Barbarians. He made his debut for Ireland in March 2003, featuring in the Six Nations Championship of that year and until 2013 was a regular name on the team sheet, earning over 90 caps. This saw him win the Triple Crown in the 2004 Six Nations and Ireland’s first Grand Slam in over 60 years in the 2009 competition. He also played in the 2011 Rugby World Cup starting in most of the warms-ups and tournament games.
 
In addition, Donncha O'Callaghan featured for the British & Irish Lions twice, firstly in 2005 in the tour of New Zealand and then again in 2009 in South Africa where he captained the side – he made four test appearances in total. In 2014 and 2017 he featured for the Barbarians, playing two games.
 
Following his retirement, Donncha O'Callaghan is now a pundit and presenter on Irish TV and radio. In 2009 he was also made a UNICEF Ambassador for Ireland and has travelled the world campaigning for children’s needs.

Fixtures & Results

Sat May 13, 2023
FT
ISS Stadion
Norway Norway
-
8:00am
Denmark Denmark
LIVE
10
22
Sat May 6, 2023
FT
Budapest Rugby Center
Hungary Hungary
-
8:00am
Latvia Latvia
LIVE
21
22
Sat Apr 29, 2023
FT
Daugava Stadium
Latvia Latvia
-
6:00am
Czech Republic Czech Republic
LIVE
7
43
FT
National Sports Academy Vasil Levski
Bulgaria Bulgaria
-
8:00am
Slovenia Slovenia
LIVE
39
19
FT
Kamberovica Polje
Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia-Herzegovina
-
8:00am
Serbia Serbia
LIVE
12
40
FT
Prada de Moles Sports Stadium
Andorra Andorra
-
11:00am
Norway Norway
LIVE
26
6
Sat Apr 22, 2023
FT
Yizreel Rugby Club
Israel Israel
-
6:50am
Slovenia Slovenia
LIVE
50
7
FT
National Stadium
Andorra Andorra
-
10:50am
Finland Finland
LIVE
23
31
Sat Apr 1, 2023
FT
Rugby Academy-Siauliai
Lithuania Lithuania
-
7:00am
Sweden Sweden
LIVE
15
18
FT
Gradski sportski centar Makarska
Croatia Croatia
-
10:00am
Switzerland Switzerland
LIVE
22
32
Sat Mar 25, 2023
FT
Rugby Academy-Siauliai
Lithuania Lithuania
-
8:00am
Croatia Croatia
LIVE
37
39
Sat Mar 18, 2023
FT
Stadion Stari plac
Ukraine Ukraine
-
9:00am
Sweden Sweden
LIVE
38
15
Sat Mar 11, 2023
FT
Stadion Lucko
Ukraine Ukraine
-
8:00am
Switzerland Switzerland
LIVE
32
59
Sat Feb 25, 2023
FT
Gaborone Rugby Football Club
Botswana Botswana
-
9:00am
Eswatini Eswatini
LIVE
111
3

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