Niall_Ronan
Niall Ronan
Irish rugby union player
Niall Ronan (born 14 September 1982) is a retired Irish rugby union player, who played for Leinster, Munster and Ireland during his career. He played as a flanker.
| Date of birth | (1982-09-14) 14 September 1982 (age 41) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Pilltown, Meath, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 113 kg (17.8 st; 249 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Scoil Aonghusa, Drogheda St. Mary's Diocesan School, Drogheda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ronan grew up playing Gaelic football and represented the Meath county team in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship. He won the Senior Schools Leinster Championships in 2000 with St. Mary's, Drogheda.
Switching from football to rugby, he played at underage level for Leinster and Ireland, and spent four seasons with Leinster.
Ronan moved to Munster in 2007, and made his debut against Scarlets in September of that year.[1] He was in the Munster team that beat Leinster to win the 2011 Magners League Grand Final.[2]
A knee injury sustained in Munster's Heineken Cup Round 5 clash with Castres Olympique ruled Ronan out for the rest of the 2011–12 season.[3] He signed a new two-year contract with Munster in March 2012.[4]
Ronan earned his 100th cap for Munster on 3 May 2013, coming on against Zebre in a Pro12 fixture. On 30 April 2014, it was announced that Ronan was retiring from rugby due to a knee injury sustained in October 2013.[5]
Ronan made his debut for Ireland against Canada on 23 May 2009,[6] starting and finishing the match in a 25–6 win. He earned his second cap a week later against the USA. He was called up to the squad for the 2010 Summer Tour as a replacement for Kevin McLaughlin and played against the Barbarians, New Zealand Māori and Australia.[7]
Ronan also played for Ireland against Scotland in a 2011 Rugby World Cup warm-up on 6 August 2011.[8]
After retiring, Ronan returned to play Gaelic football with his local club St. Colmcille's, winning the Meath and Leinster intermediate championships in 2016 and reaching the final of the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship in 2017.[9]
In 2019, Ronan joined Meath as a strength and conditioning coach.[10]
In February 2022 he became manager of Louth club O'Raghallaighs, winning promotion from Division 2.[11][12]
Ronan was appointed manager of St. Colmcille's in November 2023.[9]
- "Munster See Off Scarlets". munsterrugby.ie. 22 September 2007. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- "Munster Crowned Magners League Champions". munsterrugby.ie. 28 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- "Niall Ronan Gone For The Season". munsterrugby.ie. 18 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- "Ryan Signs On For Two More Years". munsterrugby.ie. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- "Ronan Forced To Retire". munsterrugby.ie. 30 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- "Kidney Takes Positives From Winning Start". irishrugby.ie. 24 May 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- "Ireland Team To Play Australia". irishrugby.ie. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- "Ireland Team To Play Scotland". irishrugby.ie. 4 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- Boyle, Donnchadh (14 November 2023). "Former rugby star Niall Ronan takes over as St Colmcille's GAA boss in native Meath". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- "Ronan links up with Royals - HoganStand". hoganstand.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- Reilly, Caoimhín (11 August 2022). "Former Ireland rugby international going well as a Louth GAA club manager". www.independent.ie. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- "Division 2 Roundup: O'Raghallaighs fightback against Irelanders sees them crowned champions". www.dundalkdemocrat.ie. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.