Andrew Browne (rugby union)

Andrew Browne (born 21 January 1987) is a rugby union player from Ireland. Browne is a versatile forward, able to play as a flanker or a lock. Browne most recently played professionally for Irish provincial side Connacht Rugby. His older brother Damian Browne is also a rugby player, and formerly played for Connacht and Leinster.

For other people named Andrew Browne, see Andrew Browne (disambiguation).
Andrew Browne
Date of birth (1987-01-21) 21 January 1987
Place of birthGalway, Ireland
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight116 kg (18 st 4 lb)
SchoolSt. Joseph's Patrician College
UniversityNUI Galway
Notable relative(s)Damian Browne (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2004–2005 2005–2018

Our Lady's Boys Club

Galwegians		 ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2007–2018 Connacht 156 (5)
Correct as of 28 April 2018
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2007
2011		 Ireland U20
Ireland Wolfhounds		 5
1		 (0)
(0)
Correct as of 10 February 2015

Early life

Browne was born in Galway and grew up in Renmore. He attended St. Joseph's Patrician College, commonly known as The Bish.[1] Browne played rugby for local clubs Our Lady's Boys Club and Galwegians.[2] When was growing up his brother Damian, who is seven years older than him, played for Connacht, but the older Browne left the team in 2004, almost three years before Andrew made his own debut.[3]

Browne studied at NUI Galway.[4]

Career

Connacht

A product of the province's academy, Browne made his senior debut for Connacht in the 2006–07 Celtic League, coming on as a replacement against the Cardiff Blues on 7 April 2007, in a match that finished level, at 16 points apiece.[5] He made one further appearance in the league that season, also as a replacement.[6]

Browne made his first ever European appearance in the 2007–08 European Challenge Cup, coming on as a replacement against El Salvador.[7] He also made his first start for Connacht during the season, lining out against Edinburgh in the 2007–08 Celtic League on 21 March 2008.[8] In addition to this, Browne started one other game and made three appearances from the bench in the league that season.[6]

The following season saw Browne become a regular for Connacht. He featured in all seven of the province's 2008–09 Challenge Cup games, starting in five of them, including the quarter-final clash with Northampton Saints.[7] Browne played in 14 of Connacht's 18 games in the 2008–09 Celtic League, starting in nine of them.[6] Browne scored his first try for Connacht on 8 May 2009 in a league game against Irish rivals Ulster.[9]

Browne played in only two games in the 2009–10 European Challenge Cup as Connacht reached the semi-finals.[7] In that season's league he made 13 appearances, but started on just five occasions.[6] At the end of the season Michael Bradley, who had coached Connacht for the entirety of Browne's time with the senior team, stood down from his position and was replaced with Eric Elwood, who had coached Browne at Under 20 level internationally.[10]

The following season saw Browne once again playing regular first team rugby for Connacht. He played in all six of the team's games in the 2010–11 Challenge Cup, but Connacht failed to progress from their group.[7] In the 2010–11 Celtic League, which had been expanded to twelve teams with the addition of two Italian teams, Browne started 14 games, and came on as a replacement in a further four.[6]

Browne missed the entirety of the 2011–12 season for Connacht, in what was the province's debut season in the Heineken Cup, following an injury sustained during the pre-season. The 2011–12 season also saw the league renamed as the Pro12, due to the addition of Italian teams. Browne returned to the team after more than a year's absence in the 2012–13 Pro12 match with Scarlets in September 2012.[11] He made a total of 16 appearances in the league that season, 13 of these coming as starts.[6] Browne made his Heineken Cup debut when he started Connacht's pool stage game against Biarritz, which the province won by a score of 22–14.He went on to start three more of Connacht's games in the competition.[7] Browne signed an extension to his Connacht contract in March 2013, agreeing to stay with the team until the end of the 2014–15 season.[12]

Elwood left his post at the end of the 2012–13 season and was replaced by Pat Lam. In Lam's first season in charge, Browne made 18 appearances in the league, starting 11 times.[6] In the 2013–14 Heineken Cup Browne started three games and came on as a replacement in a further two.[7] On 4 January 2014, Browne made his 100th appearance for Connacht against Leinster.[13]

Browne suffered from injury issues in the 2014–15 season, which limited the number of appearances he made.[2] He played just eight times in the 2014–15 Pro12, starting only twice.[6] He featured in four of Connacht's six pool games in the 2014–15 Challenge Cup however, and started in the quarter-final defeat to Gloucester.[7][14]

International

Browne has represented Ireland internationally at youth level, playing for the country at Under 19 and Under 20 level. He was part of the Irish team that won the Grand Slam in the U20 Six Nations in 2007. The grand slam winning team was coached by Browne's future Connacht coach Eric Elwood.[15] Browne has also played for the second tier international "A" side, known as the Ireland Wolfhounds.[16]

References
  1. Small, Daragh (24 March 2017). "The Bish are ready to be a force once again". Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 March 2017. ... that didn't deter Connacht's Andrew Browne, Darragh Leader and Ciaran Gaffney from attending in the past. Ex-Connacht lock Damien Browne also went there... Ireland international goalkeeper David Forde honed his skills at the Bish, as did the new president of the GPA and former Galway hurling captain David Collins; and esteemed Irish rower, and two-time Olympian, Neville Maxwell.
  2. "Stalwart confident good times are around the corner". Irish Independent. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  3. "Relishing life in the top flight of French rugby". The Irish Times. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. Rooney, Declan (27 October 2017). "NUI Galway renew deal with province". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2017. NUI Galway became Connacht's Academy and University partner in 2013, and since then 19 Connacht players have graduated, or are about to graduate, from NUI Galway including current senior squad members Denis Buckley, Eoin Griffin, Eoin McKeon, Andrew Browne, Dave Heffernan, Jack Carty, Darragh Leader, Eoghan Masterson, Seán O'Brien and Conor McKeon.
  5. "Connacht Rugby 16 – 16 Cardiff Blues". Pro12. 7 April 2007. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  6. "Connacht Squad Index: Andrew Browne". Pro12. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  7. "Player Archive: Andrew Browne". European Professional Club Rugby. 6 June 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  8. "Edinburgh Rugby 38 – 8 Connacht Rugby". Pro12. 21 March 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  9. "Connacht Rugby 12 – 14 Ulster Rugby". Pro12. 8 May 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  10. "Bradley set to leave Connacht". RTÉ Sport. 3 November 2009.
  11. "Andrew Browne returns to Connacht backrow after lengthy lay-off". RTÉ Sport. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  12. "Andrew Browne signs new two-year deal at Connacht". Irish Independent. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  13. "Browne Poised For 100th Connacht Appearance". Irish Rugby. 2 January 2014. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014.
  14. "Gloucester vs Connacht match report: Battling Gloucester indebted to James Hook as they seal semi-final spot". The Independent. 3 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  15. "Italian job seals Grand Slam for Under-20s". Irish Examiner. 17 March 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  16. "Andrew Browne 2011/12 | Connacht Rugby Website". Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
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