Conor O'Shea

His father, Jerome, was a famous Gaelic football player in the 1950s and won All-Ireland Championship medals with Kerry in 1953, 1955 and 1959.

Conor O'Shea (Conchúir Ó Sé) (born 21 October 1970) is an Irish rugby union coach and former player.

O'Shea started his rugby playing career at Terenure College, where he won the Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup in 1991.

He briefly represented his university UCD before leaving in 1992.

Upon leaving, he joined Lansdowne, and soon became a regular starter at fullback in the 1st XV.

He was selected for provincial side Leinster in 1993, where in 1994 he helped Leinster secure their first Irish Interprovincial Rugby Championship title since 1984, despite the title being shared.

He scored Leinster's first ever try in a professional European tournament, scoring against Italian side Milan in the inaugural Heineken Cup.

Leinster topped their pool with a win over Pontypridd, but failed to progress past the semi-finals where they were defeated by Cardiff 23–14.

On 13 November 1993, Conor O'Shea earned his first international cap, playing at fullback against Romania at Lansdowne Road in a 25–3 victory.

He played in all of Ireland's 1994 Five Nations Championship matches, where he helped Ireland to their first win over England at Twickenham Stadium since 1982.

He was later named in the squad that toured Australia in their 1994 tour.

In 1995, O'Shea moved to England so that he could play in a top division tournament, where he represented London Irish.

He helped London Irish to promotion to the top division in England in his first season at the club, and helped his side to the semi-finals of the 1995–96 Pilkington Cup, losing to Leicester 46–21.

In 1995 he was selected for the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, where he played in two of Ireland's group matches (vs Japan and Wales) and started at fullback against France in the quarter-finals, losing 36–12.

O'Shea then completed a Diploma in Legal Studies at the Dublin Institute of Technology and a Master's of Sports Science degree in Sports Management in 1996 from the United States Sports Academy.

O'Shea wasn't selected in 1996 following his move to London Irish, but returned to the squad in 1997 ahead of the 1997 Five Nations Championship.

Though in the 1997–98 European Challenge Cup, Irish improved greatly to finish second in their group behind Stade Français.

In 1998/99, London Irish recorded their best positioning on the English Premiership table finishing 7th on the overall table.

On 14 November 1998, O'Shea scored his first try for his country, scoring in Ireland's 70–0 victory over Georgia.

In 1999 he was awarded the Zurich Players’ Player of the Season Award in a season where he captained the side to the top of their European Challenge Cup table, and the semi-finals of the Tetley's Bitter Cup.

However, in both competition, London Irish were defeated by Northampton and Castres Olympique respectively.

In 1999, he was selected for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, which was part hosted by Ireland.

He started in all 4 games of the World Cup, which saw Ireland get knocked out by Argentina in the quarter-final play-offs 28–24.

In November 2000, O'Shea sustained an ankle injury playing against Gloucester, ending his playing career.

In 2001, O'Shea took up a coaching position with London Irish following his career ending injury.

Initially helping out as a skills coach, before becoming director of rugby for the exiles.

In his first season, he brought in South African Brendan Venter as a player-coach.

He and Venter guided London Irish to fourth in the 2001–02 Aviva Premiership season but the team was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Northampton Saints 38–14.

London Irish did however go on to win the first Anglo-Welsh Cup after winning the 2001–02 Powergen Cup, this time defeating Northampton Saints 38–7.

With this win, he won the Zurich Rugby Director of the Season Award, jointly with Brendan Venter.

In the 2002–03 season the Exiles dropped back down the table, finishing in 9th place, while also failing to progress out of the pool stages of their first Heineken Cup.

In 2005 O'Shea left London Irish to take up an appointment with the Rugby Football Union as Director of Regional Academies.

In London Irish first season in the top flight division, they finished 10th, which meant they had to play in the Relegation/Promotion play–offs against Coventry - London Irish won on aggregate 42–23.

In the inaugural European Challenge Cup, London Irish finished bottom of their pool, losing all 5 games.

He was the head coach of the Italy national team from 2016 to 2019.

He played as a full back and occasionally at out-half and centre for Ireland, Lansdowne and London Irish.

He has also coached London Irish and Harlequins, and held management positions with the English Rugby Football Union and the English Institute of Sport.

O'Shea was born in County Limerick.

He went to Terenure College in Dublin, which is one of the main rugby nurseries in Ireland.

He attended University College Dublin where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and began his representative career.