Fergus Slattery
Encyclopedia
John Fergus Slattery is a former rugby union
player who represented Ireland
. He played schools rugby for Blackrock College and then moved on to play senior rugby for UCD
, before earning a call up to the Ireland
team in 1970. During his career Slattery earned 61 caps, 18 as captain, and scored 3 tries. In 1971, he was a member of the British and Irish Lions
squad that toured New Zealand
, but he did not play in the Test matches. He played for the Barbarians in the famous 1973 game against the All Blacks in Cardiff
. Slattery toured with the Lions again in 1974
, playing in all four Tests and captaining the side for two provincial matches. He was captain of the most successful Irish touring side ever in 1979
which won 7 of the 8 matches in Australia
including the two Tests in Brisbane
and Sydney
. In addition to the above honours, he was a member of the Irish Triple Crown
-winning team in 1982
.
Slattery was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame
in 2007.
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 who represented 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 played schools rugby for Blackrock College and then moved on to play senior rugby for UCD
University College Dublin R.F.C.
University College Dublin Rugby Football Club is the rugby club of University College Dublin, based in Dublin, Ireland. They play their home games at UCD Bowl. The club was founded in 1910 and they won their first trophy, the Leinster Junior Challenge Cup, in 1914. In 1924 they won their first...
, before earning a call up to 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 in 1970. During his career Slattery earned 61 caps, 18 as captain, and scored 3 tries. In 1971, he was a member of the British and Irish 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...
squad that toured New Zealand
1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand
In 1971 the British Lions toured New Zealand, also playing two matches in Australia. Despite losing the first match to Queensland the tour was a great success, the Lions winning the test series against the All Blacks. They are still the only Lions side to have won a test series in New Zealand...
, but he did not play in the Test matches. He played for the Barbarians in the famous 1973 game against the All Blacks in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Slattery toured with the Lions again in 1974
1974 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1974 the British Lions toured South Africa, with matches in South West Africa and Rhodesia . The tour was a great success, the Lions winning 21 of their 22 matches and drawing the other. After winning the first three test matches, the Lions drew the final test to preserve their unbeaten record...
, playing in all four Tests and captaining the side for two provincial matches. He was captain of the most successful Irish touring side ever in 1979
1979 Ireland rugby union tour of Australia
The 1979 Ireland rugby union tour of Australia was a series of eight matches played by the Ireland national rugby union team in Australia in May and June 1979....
which won 7 of the 8 matches in 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...
including the two Tests in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. In addition to the above honours, he was a member of the Irish 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...
-winning team in 1982
1982 Five Nations Championship
The 1982 Five Nations Championship was the fifty-third series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played...
.
Slattery was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame
International Rugby Hall of Fame
The International Rugby Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF accepts new inductees every two years...
in 2007.