Matt O'Connor (rugby union)
| Birth name | Matthew Gerard O'Connor | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 January 1971 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Canberra, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Matt O'Connor (born 29 January 1971) is an Australian rugby union coach and a former international player. He was head coach of the Leicester Tigers where he won the Premiership in 2013, before being recruited to coach Irish province Leinster.[1]
Playing career
O'Connor played rugby for the ACT in the 1990s and was awarded a single cap for the Wallabies against Ireland in 1994.[1]
He signed for rugby league club the Hunter Mariners in 1996 however the club's existence was threatened by the Super League war so he only played in several trial matches that year.[2] He played for Paris Saint-Germain in 1997.[3] O'Connor spent 3 years in Japan playing for and then coaching Kubota Rugby Team. He lived in Japan with his wife and 3 children.
Coaching
Returning to Australia, O'Connor joined the Brumbies as a backline coach in Canberra. He was appointed head coach of Australia A for the Pacific Nations Cup competition.
O'Connor joined the Leicester Tigers as the backline coach under Heyneke Meyer, replacing another former Australian centre, Pat Howard. After the team won back to back premierships in 2009 and 2010, he became head coach of the Tigers for the 2010–11 season, and led the team to the premiership in 2013.
He was signed as the head coach of Irish province Leinster in 2013,[4][5][6] and won the 2013–14 Pro12 title in his first season.[7] The following season, when the team missed out on a play-off spot in the Pro12 and lost at the semi-final stage of the Champions Cup,[8][9] O'Connor was sacked by Leinster after completing two years of a three-year contract.[10][11]
References
- ^ a b "Matt O'Connor | Rugby Union | Players and Officials". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ Hunter Mariners 1908.com
- ^ Matt O'Connor rugbyleagueproject.org
- ^ "Matt O'Connor to replace Joe Schmidt as Leinster head coach". Guardian. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ "Leinster confirm Matt O'Connor as the man to succeed Schmidt". Irish Independent. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ "Matt O'Connor to succeed Joe Schmidt as Leinster head coach". BBC Sport. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ "Leinster refusing to let their era end". Irish Independent. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Matt O'Connor to leave Leinster after two years in charge". The 42. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Matt O'Connor and Leinster part ways". Irish Examiner. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Matt O'Connor sacked by Leinster". RTE Sport. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Matt O'Connor on Leinster departure: 'I am disappointed and frustrated with our form in the PRO12 this season'". Irish Independent. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
External links
- Matt O'Connor Leinster Rugby profile