Colin Wilkinson
Colin Robert Wilkinson (born 4 April 1961) is a former Ireland rugby union international from Northern Ireland.
| Full name | Colin Robert Wilkinson | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 4 April 1961 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Born in Belfast, Wilkinson was a fullback with Malone and Ulster, who was capped once for Ireland. He appeared for Ireland against Scotland at Murrayfield in the 1993 Five Nations Championship at the late age of 31, making him the oldest back to debut for the Irish. At the time of his call up, he was a practising solicitor in the town of Downpatrick.[1][2]
He was assistant coach, under Harry Williams, of Ulster's 1998–99 Heineken Cup-winning team.[3]
Wilkinson received a suspended custodial sentence in 2013 after he pled guilty to seven charges of "obtaining a pecuniary advantage for himself or another", through his work as an insurance broker. Between 2003 and 2005, he had been using illegal means to obtain cheaper health cover. The sentence was suspended for two years[4]
References
- "Selectors cap Colin's career". The Star. 11 January 1993.
- "Debut boy Colin Wilkinson believes ..." The Down Recorder. 13 January 1993.
- Jonathan Bradley, The Last Amateurs: The Incredible Story of Ulster Rugby's 1999 European Champions, The Blackstaff Press, 2018, p. 41
- "Rugby star Colin Wilkinson avoids jail over fraud". Belfast Telegraph. 15 March 2013.