Piers O'Conor

Piers O'Conor
Birth namePiers O'Conor
Date of birth (1995-08-28) 28 August 1995 (age 29)
Place of birthSydney, Australia[1]
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight102 kg (225 lb)
SchoolEastbourne College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, Fullback
Current team Connacht
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–2017 Wasps 7 (5)
2014–2015 →Henley Hawks (loan) 10 (29)
2015–2017 →Bedford (loan) 30 (80)
2017–2018 Ealing Trailfinders 19 (40)
2018–2024 Bristol Bears 137 (175)
2024– Connacht 5 (5)
Correct as of 22 September 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013 Ireland U-19s 1 (0)
2015 England U20s 10 (5)
2019 England XV 1 (0)
Correct as of 21 December 2020

Piers O'Conor (born 28 August 1995)[2] is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a centre or fullback for United Rugby Championship club Connacht. At international youth level he represented Ireland under-19 and England under-20.

Early life

Born in Sydney, Australia, O'Conor was raised in England.[3] He is also eligible to represent Ireland and New Zealand through ancestry.[1][3]

O'Conor took up rugby at Cumnor House School aged seven.[1] He played for several clubs in Sussex, including winning the national U-17s Bowl with Heathfield and Waldron in 2012,[3] before joining Eastbourne College where he was coached by Russell Earnshaw.[4]

Career

O'Conor played for Ireland under-19s in 2013 before signing for Wasps.[3][4] He made his Wasps debut in November 2014 in the Anglo-Welsh Cup against Sale Sharks.[4]

O'Conor played for the England U20 side that won the 2015 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and scored his only try of the tournament in a win over Ireland at Donnybrook Stadium.[5][6] Later that year he was a member of their squad at the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship and had a try disallowed in the final against New Zealand which England lost to finish runners up.[7]

In 2017 O'Conor left Wasps and joined Ealing Trailfinders in the RFU Championship.[8] After one season with Ealing he moved on to newly promoted Bristol Bears.[9] O'Conor scored four tries in twenty matches during the 2018–19 Premiership Rugby campaign and his form led to him being selected by coach Eddie Jones to start for an England XV against Barbarians in an uncapped match at Twickenham Stadium on 2 June 2019.[10][11] The following season saw O'Conor come off the bench as a substitute in the final of the 2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup as Bristol defeated RC Toulon to win their first ever European trophy.[12]

In April 2024 it was announced that O'Conor would join Connacht for the 2024–25 United Rugby Championship.[13][14]

Honours

Bristol Bears

England U20

References

  1. ^ a b c "Piers O'Conor". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Piers O'Conor". ESPN. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Evely, John (9 September 2019). "From the cusp of the rugby wilderness to England honours - Bristol Bears centre Piers O'Conor's rise to the top". Bristol Post. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Young Gun: Piers O'Conor – Wasps full-back". The Rugby Paper. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  5. ^ Watterson, Johnny (27 February 2015). "England take advantage of Ireland errors in Donnybrook victory". Irish Times. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b Malin, Ian (20 March 2015). "England win Under-20 Six Nations title for fourth time in five years". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b Malin, Ian (20 June 2015). "England miss out on third straight world U20 title against New Zealand". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  8. ^ Smith, Paul (11 May 2017). "Wasps full back leaves Ricoh Arena in quest for regular first team action". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  9. ^ Evely, John (9 March 2018). "Bristol Rugby sign Ealing Trailfinders trio". Bristol Post. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  10. ^ Piercy, James (31 May 2019). "'It's a massive honour' - Piers O'Conor to become Bristol Bears' first England player for 11 years". Bristol Post. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  11. ^ Meagher, Gerard (2 June 2019). "England XV 51-43 Barbarians". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b Garry, Tom (16 October 2020). "European Challenge Cup final: Bristol Bears 32-19 Toulon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Piers O'Conor joins Connacht Rugby | 29th April 2024 | News". Connacht Rugby. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Centre O'Conor to join Connacht from Bristol". BBC Sport. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
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