Gordon D'Arcy
Encyclopedia
Gordon William D'Arcy is an Irish rugby player, more specifically an inside centre. He is registered to Lansdowne RFC and plays for provincial and RaboDirect Pro12 side Leinster
.
was called into the Irish squad for the tour of South Africa by coach Warren Gatland
. However, because of his studies he declined that opportunity. On leaving school he joined the Lansdowne Rugby Club and made his Ireland
debut on 15 October 1999 as a substitute against Romania
during the World Cup. Following a falling out with his provincial coaches regarding his attitude – which almost drove him to retire from the game – D'Arcy was left out of the international setup for three years. His second game for his country came on 17 November 2002 as a late substitute in Ireland's 64–17 win over Fiji
. He made a further three appearances as a substitute during 2003.
D'Arcy was not picked for the Irish squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
in Australia, but was picked for the Leinster team during the absence of its World Cup players. It was then that he came into his own, playing some of the best rugby of his career at fullback/wing, where he displayed delightful skill in running from deep and finishing off the moves that he had started.
After the World Cup, an injury to Brian O'Driscoll
, his Leinster team mate, saw D'Arcy move to outside centre, where he made a great impression. Owing to the further absence of O'Driscoll from the Irish squad for the first match of the Six Nations
in that season against France
, D'Arcy found himself in the number 13 jersey at international level. Such was his form that, on O'Driscoll's return, he kept his place, allowing the selectors to experiment with O'Driscoll at inside centre.
D'Arcy was voted player of the Six Nations tournament in 2004 as he helped inspire his country to the Triple Crown
for the first time since 1985. What most impressed supporters was his ability to wrong-foot the flat-defence off passes from O'Driscoll
and to create space out of nothing; this was particularly appreciated in his performance against England at Twickenham. It seemed that a new type of centre partnership had been created, which superseded the grinding format preferred by international coaches, of using a crash centre at no.12 and ignoring the possibilities of quick offloads in the centre of the field. The new centre combination was also impressive in its hard and intelligent defence, which often converted into successful counter-attack. D'Arcy was nominated for IRB Player Of The Year in 2004
Despite an injury plagued 2004–05 season, D'Arcy was named in the British and Irish Lions
squad for their 2005 tour to New Zealand
. But his performances during the tour were generally poor, and he reputedly refused to play in the final test against New Zealand, though he vehemently denies this. There were fears at that stage that his form during the 2003/04 season would prove to have been a flash in the pan. However, he has been back fully fit for Leinster and Ireland in the 2005/06 season and has impressed in a new-look, much more attack minded Leinster team.
D'Arcy played in all of Ireland's 2006 Six Nations matches, he beat more defenders than any other player, and showed his talent. His return to top form continued during the autumn international series where his performances against Australia and South Africa contributed to back – to – back victories for the Irish team. D'Arcy now usually plays at inside centre for Leinster and Ireland with O'Driscoll outside him.
D'Arcy played in all of Ireland's 2007 Six Nations matches, he was nominated for RBS Six Nations Player Of The Tournament in 2007
After sustaining a multiple fracture in his arm in the opening match of the 2008 Six Nations, versus Italy, D'Arcy missed the remainder of the season and only returned to Leinster in December 2008. He was a member of the victorious Ireland team that won the 2009 Six Nations Championship
and Grand Slam. In May 2009, D'Arcy was named in the Barbarians squad to play England
and Australia
along with Ireland team mate Geordan Murphy
and Leinster colleague Rocky Elsom
., the Barbarians ended up beating England by 33 points to 26 with D'Arcy scoring one of the tries.
On 3 June 2009, D'Arcy was called up for the British and Irish Lions
squad for the tour in South Africa
due to injuries in the squad. He featured for Ireland against Fiji and South Africa during the 2009 November Tests, and started every game in the 2010 Six Nations. He started against New Zealand in the 2010 Summer Tests and scored 1 try, but a groin problem kept him out of Ireland's remaining test against Australia.
D'Arcy earned his 50th cap against South Africa on November 6, 2010.
D'Arcy was named in the Ireland Rugby World Cup 2011 squad despite an apparent lack of form.
In the Australia vs Ireland match at the 2011 World Cup
, D'Arcy and O'Driscoll
set the world record for most appearances as a centre partnership together in international rugby, at 45 appearances. This broke the previous record set by Will Carling
and Jeremy Guscott
.
D'Arcy enrolled in UCD 1st year arts for the academic year 2007/08. He is from County Wexford, being a fan of the Wexford's GAA
teams. D'Arcy is a very popular figure with Leinster and Ireland supporters, and is known for his affable easy-going personality and his generosity.
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...
.
Career
D'Arcy was a promising fullback for schools side Clongowes Wood in the late 1990s, and on the eve of his Leaving CertLeaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
was called into the Irish squad for the tour of South Africa by coach Warren Gatland
Warren Gatland
Warren David Gatland is a former New Zealand rugby footballer and the current head coach of the Wales national team.Gatland was born in Hamilton, New Zealand and educated at Hamilton Boys' High School and Waikato University...
. However, because of his studies he declined that opportunity. On leaving school he joined the Lansdowne Rugby Club and made his 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...
debut on 15 October 1999 as a substitute against Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
during the World Cup. Following a falling out with his provincial coaches regarding his attitude – which almost drove him to retire from the game – D'Arcy was left out of the international setup for three years. His second game for his country came on 17 November 2002 as a late substitute in Ireland's 64–17 win over Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
. He made a further three appearances as a substitute during 2003.
D'Arcy was not picked for the Irish squad for the 2003 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....
in Australia, but was picked for the Leinster team during the absence of its World Cup players. It was then that he came into his own, playing some of the best rugby of his career at fullback/wing, where he displayed delightful skill in running from deep and finishing off the moves that he had started.
After the World Cup, an injury to Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
, his Leinster team mate, saw D'Arcy move to outside centre, where he made a great impression. Owing to the further absence of O'Driscoll from the Irish squad for the first match of the Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
in that season against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, D'Arcy found himself in the number 13 jersey at international level. Such was his form that, on O'Driscoll's return, he kept his place, allowing the selectors to experiment with O'Driscoll at inside centre.
D'Arcy was voted player of the Six Nations tournament in 2004 as he helped inspire his country to 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...
for the first time since 1985. What most impressed supporters was his ability to wrong-foot the flat-defence off passes from O'Driscoll
and to create space out of nothing; this was particularly appreciated in his performance against England at Twickenham. It seemed that a new type of centre partnership had been created, which superseded the grinding format preferred by international coaches, of using a crash centre at no.12 and ignoring the possibilities of quick offloads in the centre of the field. The new centre combination was also impressive in its hard and intelligent defence, which often converted into successful counter-attack. D'Arcy was nominated for IRB Player Of The Year in 2004
Despite an injury plagued 2004–05 season, D'Arcy was named in 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 for their 2005 tour to New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
. But his performances during the tour were generally poor, and he reputedly refused to play in the final test against New Zealand, though he vehemently denies this. There were fears at that stage that his form during the 2003/04 season would prove to have been a flash in the pan. However, he has been back fully fit for Leinster and Ireland in the 2005/06 season and has impressed in a new-look, much more attack minded Leinster team.
D'Arcy played in all of Ireland's 2006 Six Nations matches, he beat more defenders than any other player, and showed his talent. His return to top form continued during the autumn international series where his performances against Australia and South Africa contributed to back – to – back victories for the Irish team. D'Arcy now usually plays at inside centre for Leinster and Ireland with O'Driscoll outside him.
D'Arcy played in all of Ireland's 2007 Six Nations matches, he was nominated for RBS Six Nations Player Of The Tournament in 2007
After sustaining a multiple fracture in his arm in the opening match of the 2008 Six Nations, versus Italy, D'Arcy missed the remainder of the season and only returned to Leinster in December 2008. He was a member of the victorious Ireland team that won the 2009 Six Nations Championship
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
and Grand Slam. In May 2009, D'Arcy was named in the Barbarians squad to play 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...
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...
along with Ireland team mate Geordan Murphy
Geordan Murphy
Geordan Edward Andrew Murphy is an Irish rugby union rugby player and plays fullback or wing for the English club Leicester Tigers and Ireland....
and Leinster colleague Rocky Elsom
Rocky Elsom
Rocky Elsom is a former captain of the Australia national rugby union team. Raised in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Elsom is one of Australia's most decorated Rugby players. Elsom has played over 50 times for Australia and has over 80 Super rugby caps with the Waratahs 2003–08 and the...
., the Barbarians ended up beating England by 33 points to 26 with D'Arcy scoring one of the tries.
On 3 June 2009, D'Arcy was called up for the British and Irish Lions
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....
squad for the tour in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
due to injuries in the squad. He featured for Ireland against Fiji and South Africa during the 2009 November Tests, and started every game in the 2010 Six Nations. He started against New Zealand in the 2010 Summer Tests and scored 1 try, but a groin problem kept him out of Ireland's remaining test against Australia.
D'Arcy earned his 50th cap against South Africa on November 6, 2010.
D'Arcy was named in the Ireland Rugby World Cup 2011 squad despite an apparent lack of form.
In the Australia vs Ireland match at 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...
, D'Arcy and O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
set the world record for most appearances as a centre partnership together in international rugby, at 45 appearances. This broke the previous record set by Will Carling
Will Carling
William David Charles Carling, OBE is a former Rugby union player for Harlequins, and a former captain of England from 1988 to 1996, winning 72 caps.-Early life:...
and Jeremy Guscott
Jeremy Guscott
Jeremy Clayton Guscott is a former rugby union outside centre who played for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions. On rare occasions, he has also appeared for England on the wing....
.
Personal life
D'Arcy regularly partakes in charity work, including work for Barretstown, GOAL.ie, personal appearances at various children's hospitals in Dublin and work with Brainwave (epilepsy society in Ireland) and the Irish MS society.D'Arcy enrolled in UCD 1st year arts for the academic year 2007/08. He is from County Wexford, being a fan of the Wexford's GAA
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
teams. D'Arcy is a very popular figure with Leinster and Ireland supporters, and is known for his affable easy-going personality and his generosity.