Niall Ronan
Date of birth | 14 September 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Pilltown, Meath, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 113 kg (17.8 st; 249 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Scoil Aonghusa, Drogheda St. Mary's Diocesan School, Drogheda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Niall Ronan (born 14 September 1982) is a retired Irish rugby union player, who played for Leinster, Munster and Ireland during his career. He played as a flanker.
Early years[edit]
Ronan grew up playing Gaelic football and represented the Meath county team in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship. He won the Senior Schools Leinster Championships in 2000 with St. Mary's, Drogheda.
Leinster[edit]
Switching from football to rugby, he played at underage level for Leinster and Ireland, and spent four seasons with Leinster.
Munster[edit]
Ronan moved to Munster in 2007, and made his debut against Scarlets in September of that year.[1] He was in the Munster team that beat Leinster to win the 2011 Magners League Grand Final.[2]
A knee injury sustained in Munster's Heineken Cup Round 5 clash with Castres Olympique ruled Ronan out for the rest of the 2011–12 season.[3] He signed a new two-year contract with Munster in March 2012.[4]
Ronan earned his 100th cap for Munster on 3 May 2013, coming on against Zebre in a Pro12 fixture. On 30 April 2014, it was announced that Ronan was retiring from rugby due to a knee injury sustained in October 2013.[5]
Ireland[edit]
Ronan made his debut for Ireland against Canada on 23 May 2009,[6] starting and finishing the match in a 25–6 win. He earned his second cap a week later against the USA. He was called up to the squad for the 2010 Summer Tour as a replacement for Kevin McLaughlin and played against the Barbarians, New Zealand Māori and Australia.[7]
Ronan also played for Ireland against Scotland in a 2011 Rugby World Cup warm-up on 6 August 2011.[8]
Post-rugby career[edit]
After retiring, Ronan returned to play Gaelic football with his local club St. Colmcille's, winning the Meath and Leinster intermediate championships in 2016 and reaching the final of the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship in 2017.[9]
In 2019, Ronan joined Meath as a strength and conditioning coach.[10]
In February 2022 he became manager of Louth club O'Raghallaighs, winning promotion from Division 2.[11][12]
Ronan was appointed manager of St. Colmcille's in November 2023.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ "Munster See Off Scarlets". munsterrugby.ie. 22 September 2007. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Munster Crowned Magners League Champions". munsterrugby.ie. 28 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Niall Ronan Gone For The Season". munsterrugby.ie. 18 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "Ryan Signs On For Two More Years". munsterrugby.ie. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ "Ronan Forced To Retire". munsterrugby.ie. 30 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ "Kidney Takes Positives From Winning Start". irishrugby.ie. 24 May 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Ireland Team To Play Australia". irishrugby.ie. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "Ireland Team To Play Scotland". irishrugby.ie. 4 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ a b Boyle, Donnchadh (14 November 2023). "Former rugby star Niall Ronan takes over as St Colmcille's GAA boss in native Meath". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Ronan links up with Royals - HoganStand". hoganstand.com. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Reilly, Caoimhín (11 August 2022). "Former Ireland rugby international going well as a Louth GAA club manager". www.independent.ie. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Division 2 Roundup: O'Raghallaighs fightback against Irelanders sees them crowned champions". www.dundalkdemocrat.ie. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
External links[edit]
- 1982 births
- Living people
- Gaelic footballers who switched code
- Meath Gaelic footballers
- Ireland international rugby union players
- Ireland Wolfhounds international rugby union players
- Ireland international rugby sevens players
- Irish rugby union players
- Leinster Rugby players
- Munster Rugby players
- Shannon RFC players
- Rugby union flankers
- Rugby union players from County Meath