Pat O'Connor (rugby union)

Pat O’Connor (born 7 January 1985) is an Australian rugby union footballer. He has played for the Western Force[1] and the Waratahs[2] in Super Rugby, and for SU Agen[3] in the Top 14. The position he usually plays is lock.[4]

Pat O’Connor
Birth namePatrick O'Connor
Date of birth (1985-01-07) 7 January 1985 (age 39)
Place of birthBrisbane, Australia
Height1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight114 kg (17 st 13 lb)
SchoolMarist College Ashgrove
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2003–05 GPS Rugby ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2009–10 Northland 13 (0)
2011–12 SU Agen 19 (5)
Correct as of 13 February 2014
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2006–09 Western Force[1] 8 (0)
2011 Waratahs[2] 6 (0)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2006 Australia U-21

Early life

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O'Connor was born in Brisbane, Australia. He attended secondary school at Marist College Ashgrove in Brisbane,[4] where he played rugby for the 1st XV. During his final year at Ashgrove in 2002, he was selected to represent Queensland at the Australian Schools Rugby Championships.[5]

Rugby career

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In 2003, O’Connor was invited to join the Reds Rugby College from the GPS club in Brisbane.[6] He played for the Queensland U19 side in the Trans Tasman Challenge competition in 2003 and 2004.[6][7] In 2005, he signed with the Western Force to be a start-up player for their first season in 2006.[8]

O'Connor made his Super Rugby debut for the Force against the Waratahs on 17 March 2006.[1] Later that year he was selected for the Australian U21 team and the Prime Minister's XV.[4]

At the start of 2007, O'Connor tore a cruciate ligament in the final training run before a trial match against the Crusaders.[4] Five months after the resulting knee surgery, he re-tore the ligament leading to a second reconstruction. As a result, did not play Super Rugby for the Western Force again until 2009.[4]

In the latter part of 2009, O'Connor joined the Northland province in New Zealand, where he played in the ITM Cup for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.[4]

In October 2010, O'Connor signed with the Waratahs.[4] That month, he was selected in the Wallabies training squad for the 2010 Spring Tour.[9] O'Connor was capped 6 times playing for the Waratahs in the 2011 Super Rugby season.[2] He then signed with SU Agen[10] for the 2011–12 Top 14 season in France, where he won 6 caps.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Emirates Western Force Debut & Caps". rugbywa.com.au. 27 May 2013. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Waratahs Team Statistics All Time Player List". waratahs.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Club Statistics of Pat O'Connor Top 14 2011–12". rugbyrama.fr. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Pat O'Connor signs with HSBC Waratahs". nswrugby.com.au. 1 October 2010. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Provisional Queensland Schools teams for ARFSU Novotel National Championships in Sydney". qrfsu.rugbynet.com.au. 15 August 2002. Archived from the original on 14 August 2002. Retrieved 30 May 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ a b "QRU Annual Report 2003" (PDF). redsrugby.com.au. pp. 22–24. Archived from the original (PDF 5.4 MB) on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  7. ^ "QRU Annual Report 2004" (PDF 4.0 MB). redsrugby.com.au. pp. 28–30. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  8. ^ "QRU Annual Report 2005" (PDF). redsrugby.com.au. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF 5.0 MB) on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  9. ^ "O'Connor the bolter in Wallabies training squad". rugbynews.co.nz. 4 October 2010. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Top 14 club signs Waratahs lock". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
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