Gary Leslie
Gary Leslie is an Irish former rugby union player. He played tighthead prop for Queen's University RFC, Dungannon RFC, Ulster, and Ireland 'A'.
Birth name | Gary Leslie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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School | Belfast High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Queen's University Belfast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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He attended Belfast High School, representing Ulster and Ireland at schools level at rugby.[1] He studied Combined Social Sciences at Queen's University Belfast,[2] while playing for Queen's University RFC.[3] Graduating in 1991, he enrolled in Moy Park’s Graduate Management Trainee programme,[2] and joined Dungannon RFC.[3]
With Dungannon, he won the Ulster Senior Cup five times, the Stevenson Shield once, the All-Ireland Floodlit Trophy in 1995, and was part of the Dungannon team who became the first Ulster club to win the All-Ireland League in 2001. At his retirement from club rugby in 2004, he held the record for the most All-Ireland League appearances with 159.[1] He was first selected for Ulster in 1994, and played 59 times for the province. He was part of the 1999 Heineken Cup-winning squad, appearing from the bench in the final.[3] He had a part-time contract with Ulster, retaining his full-time position as a production manager for Moy Park.[4] He played twice for Ireland 'A' in 1997 and 1998.[3]
He became Director of Operations, Primary Division, for Moy Park in 2009, and Director of Complexes, Fresh Business Unit in 2018.[2] He was also active in rugby administration. He was senior vice-president of the Ulster Branch of the IRFU in 2018-19,[5] and was appointed president of the branch in 2019, retaining the position for a second year in 2020.[1]
References
- "Leslie is installed as Ulster Branch president", Dungannon Herald, 22 October 2020
- "A day in the life", Farming Life, 28 September 2020
- Gavin Mairs, "Legend Leslie hangs up boots", Belfast Telegraph, 19 April 2004
- Bruce McKendry, Champions: The Players' Story, IRFU (Ulster Branch), 1999, pp. 156-157
- Ulster Rugby Annual Report 2018-19