Donal Lenihan
Encyclopedia
Donal Gerard Lenihan is a retired Irish rugby union
player with 52 international caps.
. He captained his school to Munster Junior and Senior Schools titles and was also captained for Irish schools
He was a student at UCC and played for the rugby team while studying there.
Lenihan played his first test match for Ireland on 21 November 1981 versus Australia
at the age of 22. Famous for his aerial skills in the line-out, the hard-nosed second row was ever present in the Irish team for over a decade which saw two Triple Crowns
and three 5 Nations Championships victories. He is best remembered for his break which set up Mike Kiernan
's championship clinching drop-goal against England
in 1985.
He played four matches in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup where he was the Irish captain and played three matches in the 1991 Rugby World Cup
. Lenihan, a proud Munsterman
, captained his country 17 times. He was selected for three Lions
Tours (1983, 1986, 1989) and was the popular captain of the unbeaten 1989 midweek side that became known as Donal's Donuts. His last cap came against Wales
on 18 January 1992.
in 1998 after the resignation of Pat Whelan. He resigned as manager at the end of the 2000 season to take over management of the British and Irish Lions for their 2001 tour. He appears regularly as a co-commentator on radio and TV for rugby matches and writes for the Examiner. He works as a financial consultant in Cork.
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 with 52 international caps.
Biography
Donal was raised in a sporting background. His father, Gerald Lenihan, was an All-Ireland heavyweight boxing champion and Gaelic footballer of distinction, and played in the same team as Jack Lynch. Donal attended second level school in Christian Brothers College, CorkChristian Brothers College, Cork
Christian Brothers College, Cork is a fee-paying Catholic school under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust in Cork, Ireland....
. He captained his school to Munster Junior and Senior Schools titles and was also captained for Irish schools
He was a student at UCC and played for the rugby team while studying there.
Lenihan played his first test match for Ireland on 21 November 1981 versus 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...
at the age of 22. Famous for his aerial skills in the line-out, the hard-nosed second row was ever present in the Irish team for over a decade which saw two Triple Crowns
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...
and three 5 Nations Championships victories. He is best remembered for his break which set up Mike Kiernan
Mike Kiernan
Michael Joseph Kiernan is a former international rugby union player. In 1983 he toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions and a the time played club rugby for Dolphin RFC. His uncle, Tom Kiernan, was also an Irish rugby union international.-References:...
's championship clinching drop-goal against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in 1985.
He played four matches in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup where he was the Irish captain and played three matches in the 1991 Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
. Lenihan, a proud Munsterman
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...
, captained his country 17 times. He was selected for three Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
Tours (1983, 1986, 1989) and was the popular captain of the unbeaten 1989 midweek side that became known as Donal's Donuts. His last cap came against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
on 18 January 1992.
Post Playing Career
After retirement from rugby he took over as manager of IrelandIreland 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...
in 1998 after the resignation of Pat Whelan. He resigned as manager at the end of the 2000 season to take over management of the British and Irish Lions for their 2001 tour. He appears regularly as a co-commentator on radio and TV for rugby matches and writes for the Examiner. He works as a financial consultant in Cork.
Career statistics
- Five Nations Tournaments: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
- Rugby World CupRugby World CupThe Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
s: 1987, 1991 - Lions ToursBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
: 1983, 1986 (cancelled), 1989