Kenny Hooks
Kenneth John Hooks (born 1 January 1960) is a former Ireland rugby union international from Northern Ireland.
| Full name | Kenneth John Hooks | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 1 January 1960 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Markethill, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
| School | Bangor Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Born in Markethill, Hooks attended Bangor Grammar School and earned four Irish Schools caps.[1]
Hooks, a winger, spent his career with Ards, Bangor, Queen's University and Ulster, while appearing in six Test matches for Ireland. He debuted against Scotland in the 1981 Five Nations Championship, then had to wait eight and a half years until his next cap, as a late call up against the 1989 visiting All Blacks.[2] His only Ireland try was the opener in a win over Argentina at Landsdowne Road in 1990, which was the first ever official Test between the countries.[3]
A teacher by profession, Hooks is a school head at The Royal School, Armagh.[4] He was named Ulster Rugby's "Coach of the Year" in 2004, having led the school's rugby XV to the Ulster Schools' Cup title, their first since 1977.[5]
References
- "Where are they now? Kenny Hooks (Markethill 1/1/60)". Irish Independent. 25 January 2006.
- "In 1989 Ireland faced the Haka and paid the price". The Irish Times. 16 November 2018.
- "Cool Kiernan Tames Pumas". Wales on Sunday. 28 October 1990.
- "This is only a start: Hooks". Belfast Telegraph. 18 March 2004.
- "Solomons' perfect send off". BBC News. 21 May 2004.