David Wallace (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
David P. Wallace is an Irish rugby union
player for Munster
and Ireland
. He grew up in Limerick on the Ennis Road. He did not leave Limerick until the age of 17, when he started playing for Munster. He normally plays as an Openside Flanker, but has also played Blindside and Number 8. He was educated at Crescent College
and Milford NS and Monaleen NS, Limerick.
debut against Connacht
in August 1997.He made his European debut against Harlequins in September 1997 in the 1997-98 Heineken Cup
.
He started for Munster in the 2000 Heineken Cup Final
. He scored his sides only try but opponents Northampton Saints
eventually won 9-8.Wallace again started for Munster during the 2002 Heineken Cup Final
against Leicester Tigers
. Once again, Munster lost narrowly, being defeated 15-9.
Injury ruled Wallace out of much of the 2002-03 Celtic League, meaning he missed Munster's victory against Neath that won the league.
His first taste of silverware with Munster came against Scarlets in the Celtic Cup Final in May 2005.
Wallace scored the fourth try in Munster’s win over Sale
in the 2005-06 Heineken Cup
to take the Irish province into a home quarter-final against USA Perpignan
.After defeating Perpignan in the quarter final, Munster beat arch-rivals Leinster
30-6 in the semi-final to reach their third Heineken Cup final. At the Millenium Stadium, Munster beat Biarritz Olympique
23-19 to win the 2006 Heineken Cup Final
. This was Munster's, and Wallace's, first Heineken Cup Final victory.
Munster, and Wallace, again secured Heineken Cup success when they beat Toulouse
16-13 in the 2008 Heineken Cup Final
.
Wallace was part of the Munster team that won the 2008-09 Magners League
.
In February 2011, he extended his contract with Munster until the end of the 2011-2012 season.
He became the sixth player to reach 200 caps for Munster against Leinster
during the 2011 Magners League Grand Final, a game in which he won the Man of the Match award.
on 03 June 2000.
On 10 June 2000
, Wallace was on the Ireland
team that recorded their largest win by beating the United States 3–83.
Three lengthy injury-enforced absences hindered Wallace's international development. He only played in five games for Ireland until returning to start in the Triple Crown
victory over Scotland
in the 2004 Six Nations Championship
— scoring a vital try in the process. He started again in both Tests in 2004 against South Africa
.
He did not return again to the Irish side until the second Test against Japan
in June 2005, where he scored his fourth international try.
His form for Munster saw him earn a recall to the Irish set-up in 2006.He was present during the 2006 Six Nations Championship
and the Summer Tour
in June.
Wallace scored a try for Ireland in their 43-13 demolition of England in the 2007 Six Nations Championship
, and his form saw him selected in Ireland's squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
in France. He started all four of Ireland's pool games at the tournament.
He was a member of the Irish Grand Slam
winning side in 2009.
He kept his place in the Ireland team for the November Tests
in 2009, and played a crucial role in the win over South Africa
. He played in all 5 of Ireland's 2010 Six Nations Championship
games and won the Man-of-the-Match award against Italy
. Wallace was in outstanding form for Munster throughout the 2009/10 season, and was selected in Ireland's squad for the summer tour
to New Zealand and Australia
. He played against New Zealand and came on as a substitute against the New Zealand Maori
before returning home for the birth of his second child. He played against South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina during Ireland's 2010 Autumn Tests
, and became Ireland's most capped back-row player. Wallace played in all five of Ireland's 2011 Six Nations Championship
games, including the 24-8 victory over England at Aviva Stadium
that ended England's hopes of a Grand Slam.
Wallace was selected in Ireland's training squad for the 2011 World Cup
warm-ups in August, and was also selected in the final 30-man squad. However, a knee injury sustained during Ireland's final warm-up game against England ruled Wallace out of the tournament in New Zealand.
Following the injury, he was ruled out of action for six months.
On 21 April 2009, Wallace was named in the British and Irish Lions squad for the tour to South Africa
. He started the firstand second tests, and came on as a substitute for the third.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player for Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
and Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
. He grew up in Limerick on the Ennis Road. He did not leave Limerick until the age of 17, when he started playing for Munster. He normally plays as an Openside Flanker, but has also played Blindside and Number 8. He was educated at Crescent College
Crescent College
Crescent College Comprehensive SJ is a secondary school located on a section of 40 acres of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland.- History :...
and Milford NS and Monaleen NS, Limerick.
Munster
Wallace made his MunsterMunster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
debut against Connacht
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...
in August 1997.He made his European debut against Harlequins in September 1997 in the 1997-98 Heineken Cup
1997-98 Heineken Cup
The 1997–98 Heineken Cup was the third edition of the Heineken Cup. Competing teams from France, Ireland, Italy, Wales, England and Scotland, were divided into five pools of four, in which teams played home and away matches against each other. The pool winners automatically qualified for the...
.
He started for Munster in the 2000 Heineken Cup Final
2000 Heineken Cup Final
The 2000 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 1999–2000 Heineken Cup, the fifth season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 27 May 2000 at Twickenham Stadium in London. The match was contested by the Northampton Saints of England and Munster of Ireland. The...
. He scored his sides only try but opponents Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
eventually won 9-8.Wallace again started for Munster during the 2002 Heineken Cup Final
2002 Heineken Cup Final
The 2002 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2001–02 Heineken Cup, the seventh season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 25 May 2002 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The match was contested by the Leicester Tigers of England and Munster of Ireland...
against Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
. Once again, Munster lost narrowly, being defeated 15-9.
Injury ruled Wallace out of much of the 2002-03 Celtic League, meaning he missed Munster's victory against Neath that won the league.
His first taste of silverware with Munster came against Scarlets in the Celtic Cup Final in May 2005.
Wallace scored the fourth try in Munster’s win over Sale
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
in the 2005-06 Heineken Cup
2005-06 Heineken Cup
The 2005–06 Heineken Cup was the eleventh edition of the European Heineken Cup rugby union club tournament. 24 teams from 7 different countries took part, with the opening game played on Friday October 21, 2005...
to take the Irish province into a home quarter-final against USA Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
.After defeating Perpignan in the quarter final, Munster beat arch-rivals Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
30-6 in the semi-final to reach their third Heineken Cup final. At the Millenium Stadium, Munster beat Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
23-19 to win the 2006 Heineken Cup Final
2006 Heineken Cup Final
The 2006 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2005–06 Heineken Cup, the 11th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 20 May 2006 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The match was contested by Biarritz of France and Munster of Ireland. Munster won the...
. This was Munster's, and Wallace's, first Heineken Cup Final victory.
Munster, and Wallace, again secured Heineken Cup success when they beat Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
16-13 in the 2008 Heineken Cup Final
2008 Heineken Cup Final
The 2008 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2007–08 Heineken Cup, the 13th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 24 May 2008 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The match was contested by Munster of Ireland and Toulouse of France...
.
Wallace was part of the Munster team that won the 2008-09 Magners League
2008-09 Magners League
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-Week 10:-Week 11:-Week 12:-Week 13:-Week 14:-Week 15:...
.
In February 2011, he extended his contract with Munster until the end of the 2011-2012 season.
He became the sixth player to reach 200 caps for Munster against Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
during the 2011 Magners League Grand Final, a game in which he won the Man of the Match award.
Ireland
Wallace made his Ireland debut against ArgentinaArgentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
on 03 June 2000.
On 10 June 2000
2000 Ireland rugby union tour of The Americas
2000 Ireland rugby union tour of the Americas. The 2000 Ireland national rugby union team summer tour saw them play three Test matches against Argentina, the United States and Canada. The touring party included two sets of brothers - Simon and Guy Easterby and David and Paul Wallace . The second...
, Wallace was on the Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
team that recorded their largest win by beating the United States 3–83.
Three lengthy injury-enforced absences hindered Wallace's international development. He only played in five games for Ireland until returning to start in the Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
victory over Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
in the 2004 Six Nations Championship
2004 Six Nations Championship
The 2004 Six Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-tenth series of the northern...
— scoring a vital try in the process. He started again in both Tests in 2004 against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
.
He did not return again to the Irish side until the second Test against Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
in June 2005, where he scored his fourth international try.
His form for Munster saw him earn a recall to the Irish set-up in 2006.He was present during the 2006 Six Nations Championship
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
and the Summer Tour
2006 mid-year rugby test series
During June of 2006, several rugby union test sides played fixtures that were mainly contested in southern nations. It acted as end of year tours of the Northern Hemisphere nations, and pre season matches for the Tri Nations Series and Pacific 5 Nations....
in June.
Wallace scored a try for Ireland in their 43-13 demolition of England in the 2007 Six Nations Championship
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, and his form saw him selected in Ireland's squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France. He started all four of Ireland's pool games at the tournament.
He was a member of the Irish Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
winning side in 2009.
He kept his place in the Ireland team for the November Tests
2009 end of year rugby tests
The 2009 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, tour the northern hemisphere....
in 2009, and played a crucial role in the win over South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. He played in all 5 of Ireland's 2010 Six Nations Championship
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
games and won the Man-of-the-Match award against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
. Wallace was in outstanding form for Munster throughout the 2009/10 season, and was selected in Ireland's squad for the summer tour
2010 mid-year rugby test series
The 2010 mid-year rugby Test series refers to the rugby union Internationals that were played from late May to late June, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere....
to New Zealand and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. He played against New Zealand and came on as a substitute against the New Zealand Maori
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...
before returning home for the birth of his second child. He played against South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina during Ireland's 2010 Autumn Tests
2010 end of year rugby tests
The 2010 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals in the northern hemisphere, will see Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and tour the northern hemisphere. Test matches will also be arranged involving the various Pacific island teams and other non-Tier 1...
, and became Ireland's most capped back-row player. Wallace played in all five of Ireland's 2011 Six Nations Championship
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,...
games, including the 24-8 victory over England at Aviva Stadium
Aviva Stadium
The Aviva Stadium is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 50,000 spectators. The stadium is built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road venue, which was demolished in 2007, and replaces that stadium as home to its chief tenants: the Irish rugby union team and the...
that ended England's hopes of a Grand Slam.
Wallace was selected in Ireland's training squad for the 2011 World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
warm-ups in August, and was also selected in the final 30-man squad. However, a knee injury sustained during Ireland's final warm-up game against England ruled Wallace out of the tournament in New Zealand.
Following the injury, he was ruled out of action for six months.
British and Irish Lions
He toured Australia with the 2001 British and Irish Lions following in the footsteps of his brothers Richard and Paul. He played against NSW Country Districts, and scored a try against ACT Brumbies.On 21 April 2009, Wallace was named in the British and Irish Lions squad for the tour to South Africa
2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa
The 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009....
. He started the firstand second tests, and came on as a substitute for the third.