Cillian Gallagher

Cillian Gallagher (born 23 July 1997) is a professional rugby union player from Ireland. He primarily plays as a lock, but can also play in the back row. Gallagher currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14, having come through the team's academy.

Cillian Gallagher
Date of birth (1997-07-23) 23 July 1997
Place of birthSligo, Ireland
Height1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight112 kg (17 st 9 lb)
SchoolSummerhill College
Height and weight correct as of 30 April 2018
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock / Back Row
Current team Connacht
Youth career
2010–2015 Sligo
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015–2016 Sligo ()
2016–2020 Galway Corinthians ()
Correct as of 30 April 2018
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017–2021 Connacht 15 (5)
Correct as of 5 June 2021
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015 Ireland U18 3 (0)
2016–2017 Ireland U20 10 (5)
Correct as of 30 April 2018

A student of Summerhill College in Sligo, Gallagher first played rugby for Sligo RFC in Strandhill. He played for the club through under-age level before joining Galway Corinthians.

Early life

Gallagher was born and raised in Sligo. He didn't play rugby until he was 13, instead playing soccer and Gaelic football.[1] Gallagher joined the Strandhill-based Sligo RFC when he was in secondary school, also playing basketball at this time.[2] It wasn't until under-18 level that he began to take rugby seriously as his primary sport. Gallagher attended Summerhill College in Sligo town, playing for the school rugby team. Despite it not being a traditional rugby school his squad reached the final of the Connacht Senior Cup in 2015, the first time Summerhill had reached that stage. They defeated local rivals Sligo Grammar in the semi-final,[1] but were ultimately beaten 19–18 in the final by Garbally College, with Gallagher scoring a try.[3][4]

Connacht

Gallagher was involved with the youth setup of his native province, Connacht, from under-15 level. He earned a place in the team's sub-academy at the end of the 2014–15 season.[1] He became part of the full academy in the 2016–17 season.[5] After becoming part of the academy in Galway, Gallagher joined city-based club Galway Corinthians.[6]

While still in the academy, Gallagher made his senior debut for Connacht on 21 October 2017, coming off the bench against Worcester Warriors in the 2017–18 Challenge Cup. His first start came on 9 December 2017 in the same competition, this time against Brive.[7][8] Gallagher made his Pro14 debut away to Munster on 21 January 2018.[9] In March 2018, it was announced that Gallagher had signed a senior deal with the province, becoming part of the first team squad for the following season.[10]

International

Gallagher has represented Ireland internationally at under-age level. He was selected for the Irish under-18 schools team in 2015 on the back of his performances for Summerhill College. He made two appearances for the side before travelling to the Rugby Europe under-18 tournament, where he was injured in the first game.[2]

Gallagher progressed to play for the Ireland under-20s the following year. He was named in Nigel Carolan's squad for the 2016 Under-20 Six Nations,[11] playing in all five games in the tournament and scoring a try on his debut against Wales.[12] In May 2016, Gallagher was named in the team's squad for the upcoming Junior World Cup.[13] He played in all three of the team's group games including a win over New Zealand, the first time an Irish international men's side had beaten their New Zealand counterparts.[14] Gallagher did not appear in the knockout stages, which saw Ireland reach the final, their best ever performance in the tournament.[12][15]

Gallagher was one of only three players to return to the team for the following season, and was named in the squad for the 2017 Under-20 Six Nations.[16] He played in the first two games,[12] captaining the side against Italy.[17] Gallagher was injured during the Italy game however, and missed the remainder of the tournament.[18] The injury also ruled him out of the 2017 Junior World Cup.[19]

References
  1. "The future is bright: Cillian Gallagher (Sub academy)". Irish Independent. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  2. "Hotshot: Connacht forward Cillian Gallagher". Rugby World. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  3. "Keller the hero as Garbally take title Garbally College 19 Summerhill College 18 Connacht Schools Snr Cup final". Irish Independent. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. "Masterful Simon Keller boots Garbally College to 45th title". Irish Examiner. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. "Academy confirmed for 2016/17". Connacht Rugby. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  6. "Club Focus: Blue bloods toiling to stay ahead of the game". Irish Independent. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2018. In our senior squad now, there are a lot of 21, 20 and even 19-year-olds being attracted to the club. Cillian Gallagher is one of the guys who phoned us to join us.
  7. "Connacht academy player Cillian Gallagher to make his first start". RTÉ Sport. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  8. "Player Archive: Cillian Gallagher". European Professional Club Rugby. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  9. "Player Profile: Cillian Gallagher". Pro14.
  10. "Gallagher, O'Donnell And Claffey Progress To Connacht Senior Contracts". Irish Rugby. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  11. "Ireland Under-20s Six Nations squad announced". Irish Times. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  12. "Ireland U20 Squad Profiles: Cillian Gallagher". Irish Rugby. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  13. "Ireland Squad Named For World Rugby U-20 Championship". Irish Rugby. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  14. "Hail the heroes! U20s become first-ever Irish men's team to beat New Zealand". The42. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  15. "Ireland U-20s Roar Into World Final With Four-Try Win". Irish Rugby. 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  16. "Cillian Gallagher ready to hit highs again for Ireland U20s at Six Nations". Irish Examiner. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  17. "Cillian Gallagher To Captain Ireland U20s Against Italy". Connacht Rugby. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  18. "Double injury blow for U-20s as Gallagher and Kelly out". Irish Independent. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  19. "Six new caps named in Ireland squad for this summer's U20 World Championships". The42. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
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