Jack Kelly (rugby union, born 1997)

For other people with the same name, see John Kelly.

Jack Kelly
Date of birth (1997-10-26) 26 October 1997 (age 27)
Place of birthDublin, Ireland
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight86 kg (13.5 st; 190 lb)
SchoolSt Michael's College
UniversityTrinity College Dublin
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, Fullback (15s);
Forward (7s)
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016– Dublin University ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2018 Leinster 1 (0)
Correct as of 23 November 2018
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017 Ireland U20
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2019– Ireland 7s 2
Correct as of 14 July 2019
Medal record
Men's rugby sevens
Representing  Ireland
European Games
Gold medal – first place 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Team competition

Jack Kelly (born 26 October 1997) is an Irish former rugby union player, who played for the Ireland national rugby sevens team.

Early life

Kelly was born in Dublin. He lived for two years in France during his childhood, also playing rugby, and speaks fluent French.[1] Kelly attended secondary school at St. Michael's College in Dublin. Despite playing in several strong school teams with fellow future professional rugby players such as Dan Leavy, James Ryan and others, he did not win a Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup medal.

Leinster

Kelly joined the Leinster academy immediately upon leaving school in 2016. He made his senior Leinster debut in 2018 against Ospreys. He combines his rugby career with studying law in Trinity College, Dublin.[2]

National team

Kelly was selected to captain the Ireland national under-20 rugby union team for the 2017 Six Nations, becoming the sixth consecutive Ireland under 20s captain to have attended St. Michael's College.[3] Ireland had a mixed campaign, finishing fourth, before enduring a poor Junior World Championship in June 2017, finishing tenth of twelve teams.

Kelly also plays for the Ireland national rugby sevens team. He debuted for the team at the 2019 London Sevens,[4] and also played in a 2019 European qualifying tournament for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Kelly had a breakout season during the 2019–20 World Rugby Sevens Series, Ireland's first season as a core team on the Series, where Kelly led all Irish forwards with nine clean breaks and eight tries.[5]

Kelly was a member of the Ireland national rugby sevens team that qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[6][7] He also competed for Ireland at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[8] Kelly played with the Ireland Men’s Sevens team at the 2024 Summer Olympics where Ireland placed sixth.[9] Kelly announced his retirement from Sevens following the event.[9]

Personal Life

Kelly earned a Law degree at Trinity College and began working as a trainee solicitor at McCann FitzGerald LLP in 2022.[9]

References

  1. ^ "I moved to France with my family when I was younger and can speak fluent French" Independent, 24 July 2019.
  2. ^ "The Leinster Academy is producing high achievers both on and off the pitch". independent. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  3. ^ O'Sullivan, John. "Ireland's Jack Kelly takes inspiration from Leinster young guns". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Ireland Men’s Sevens squad confirmed for London 7s at Twickenham", Leinster Rugby, 21 May 2019.
  5. ^ Player statistics, World Rugby. Accessed 11-11-2020.
  6. ^ "Ireland Rugby 7s book first-ever place at Olympics after shock final win over France". independent. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  7. ^ Team, The42. "Sensational second half sees Ireland Men's Sevens qualify for Tokyo Olympics". The42. Retrieved 20 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Ireland Squads Named For Rugby World Cup Sevens In Cape Town". Irish Rugby. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "'It's Been An Incredible Journey' – Jack Kelly Reflects On His Ireland Sevens Career". Irish Rugby.