John Cooney (rugby union)
John Cooney (born 1 May 1990) is an Irish rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Irish provincial side Ulster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup, having previously played for Leinster and Connacht, and has eleven caps for Ireland. Since joining Ulster in 2017, he has been nominated for EPCR European Player of the Year once, been named in the Pro14 Dream Team four times, and been Ulster's player of the year twice.
John Cooney training with Ulster, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | John Clark Michael Cooney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 1 May 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (13.5 st; 190 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Gonzaga College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University College Dublin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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He is the first player to play over 20 games for three different Irish provinces. Ulster describe him as a "talismanic player ... known for his sniping runs, kicking success, and ability to dictate games" whose "performances for the province have seen him consistently rank among the top points-scorers in the PRO14, now United Rugby Championship, competition."