Jamie Heaslip
Encyclopedia
James Peter Richard "Jamie" Heaslip (born 15 December 1983) is a Leinster & Irish
rugby union
player.
, while his father, retired Brigadier General Richard Heaslip, was there on duty with UNIFIL. He attended Newbridge College
before starring at the 2004 U-21 World Cup in Scotland, where Ireland finished as runners-up to New Zealand. Following his performance, Heaslip was nominated for the IRB
Under-21 World Player of the Year award..
senior debut in the Celtic League
in March 2005 where he has since gained 70 official senior games, scoring over 90 points, including 2 tries in the Heineken Cup
. He was Ireland’s best player at the Churchill Cup
in the summer of 2006 . The first Irish
cap he received was in an autumn series test of 2006 against the Pacific Islands
. He had the honour of being the 1000th player to wear the green of Ireland. He was a member of the victorious Ireland team that won the 2009 Six Nations Championship
and Grand Slam Heaslip was a member of the British and Irish Lions
squad for the 2009 tour to South Africa
. He Started all three tests on the Tour. He also was nominated for the IRB International Player of the Year for 2009. Heaslip was named in the first Celtic League Dream Team in 2007 and along with Ben Blair and Felipe Contepomi retained his place in 2008, in 2009 he became the only player to have been named in all three sides and has retained his unique ever present record in 2010. Heaslip was the only try scorer in the Heineken Cup semi final in which Leinster were defeated 26–16 by the eventual champions Toulouse. Heaslip has recently signed a new 3-year contract with Leinster Rugby which will see him stay at the club until 2014.
He was sent off for Ireland against New Zealand on 12 June 2010, the first Irish player to be sent off in the professional era, for striking an opposition player (Richie McCaw
) with his knee in frustration. He subsequently received a five week suspension from the International Rugby Board.
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where Irish rugby union international matches are played...
rugby union
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.
Early life
Heaslip was born in Tiberias, IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, while his father, retired Brigadier General Richard Heaslip, was there on duty with UNIFIL. He attended Newbridge College
Newbridge College
Newbridge College is a co-educational fee-paying secondary school in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, run by the Dominican Order. The Dominican Fathers founded Newbridge College in 1852 as a boarding school for boys...
before starring at the 2004 U-21 World Cup in Scotland, where Ireland finished as runners-up to New Zealand. Following his performance, Heaslip was nominated for the IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
Under-21 World Player of the Year award..
Professional career
Heaslip made his LeinsterLeinster 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...
senior debut in the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
in March 2005 where he has since gained 70 official senior games, scoring over 90 points, including 2 tries in the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
. He was Ireland’s best player at the Churchill Cup
Churchill Cup
The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....
in the summer of 2006 . The first Irish
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...
cap he received was in an autumn series test of 2006 against the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
. He had the honour of being the 1000th player to wear the green of Ireland. 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 Heaslip 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 for the 2009 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 all three tests on the Tour. He also was nominated for the IRB International Player of the Year for 2009. Heaslip was named in the first Celtic League Dream Team in 2007 and along with Ben Blair and Felipe Contepomi retained his place in 2008, in 2009 he became the only player to have been named in all three sides and has retained his unique ever present record in 2010. Heaslip was the only try scorer in the Heineken Cup semi final in which Leinster were defeated 26–16 by the eventual champions Toulouse. Heaslip has recently signed a new 3-year contract with Leinster Rugby which will see him stay at the club until 2014.
He was sent off for Ireland against New Zealand on 12 June 2010, the first Irish player to be sent off in the professional era, for striking an opposition player (Richie McCaw
Richie McCaw
Richard Hugh "Richie" McCaw is a New Zealand rugby union player, and is the current test captain. He plays in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams...
) with his knee in frustration. He subsequently received a five week suspension from the International Rugby Board.
Ireland
- Six Nations ChampionshipSix Nations ChampionshipThe Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
: 20092009 Six Nations ChampionshipThe 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... - Triple CrownTriple 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...
: 2007 & 2009
Leinster
- Heineken CupHeineken CupThe Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
: 2008–092008-09 Heineken CupThe 2008–09 Heineken Cup was the fourteenth edition of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. It started in October 2008 and ended on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh... - Celtic LeagueCeltic League (rugby union)The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
: 2007–08
Personal
- IRUPA Supporters player of the year: 2010
- Celtic League Dream Team 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011