John Clune (rugby union)

John Clune
Full nameJohn Joseph Clune
Date of birth(1890-04-02)2 April 1890
Place of birthIreland
Date of death12 September 1942(1942-09-12) (aged 52)
Place of deathoff Ascension Island
SchoolBlackrock College
UniversityTrinity College Dublin
Occupation(s)Veterinarian
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker / Second row
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1912–14 Ireland 6 (0)

John Joseph Clune (2 April 1890 — 12 September 1942) was an Irish international rugby union player.

Clune was educated at Blackrock College and Trinity College Dublin. He was capped six times for Ireland, utilised as both a hooker and second row forward, making his debut against the touring 1912–13 Springboks.[1][2]

After qualifying as a vet, Clune was commissioned to the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and served in Mesopotamia in World War I, then worked at veterinary hospitals in Kurdistan between the wars.[1]

Clune was on a posting to the Indian Army during World War II and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. On 12 September 1942, Clune was a passenger on RMS Laconia when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the West African coast in the South Atlantic. He was one of an estimated 1,600 people to die in the sinking.[1][3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c McCrery, Nigel; Rowe, Michael (28 February 2018). Final Scrum. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 1473894522.
  2. ^ "Fixtures". Limerick Echo. 19 November 1912.
  3. ^ "Lieutenant Colonel John Joseph Clune". CWGC.