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Ireland's 2009 Summer Tour Squad: Where Are They Now?

Ireland's 2009 Summer Tour Squad: Where Are They Now?
PJ Browne
By PJ Browne
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A quick glance at the image above and you might think it's a promo shot from a reality TV show about students on their J1 in California.

Another look and you might spot some familiar faces: There's Ian Dowling, Ian Keatley, Mike Ross is in there, so is John Muldoon, and Darren Cave.

In the summer of 2009, two months after Ireland won its first Six Nations Grand Slam in 61 years, events coincided which forced Declan Kidney to select a mostly inexperienced group for a two-game tour of North America.

On the same day which Ireland were down to play Canada in Vancouver, Leinster were playing Leicester in their first Heineken Cup final. That clash ruled out several players, as would the Lions tour of South Africa which was taking place later that summer.

The second game of the tour was against USA in Santa Clara.

For many, it would be one of their few opportunities - maybe their only ones - to pull on the green jersey. For others, it was the beginning of long international careers.

The first XV below is the team which started against Canada.

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Gavin Duffy

28 May 2009; Ireland's Gavin Duffy during a visit to Alcatraz Prison, San Francisco Bay, California, USA. Picture credit: Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE

The game against Canada was the Connacht fullback's penultimate game for Ireland. His 10th and final cap came a week later against the USA.

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Duffy retired from rugby in 2014 and is now Connacht's commercial manager. The Ballina man, a former Mayo minor footballer, joined the county's senior panel in 2014 but was dropped in early 2015 without having played a game.

Barry Murphy

Like Duffy, the game against Canada was the second last of the four caps which Murphy won for Ireland.

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A year later, aged just 28, he was forced to retire due to a series of injury which prevented him from reaching full fitness.

He is now part of the band hermitage green.

Darren Cave

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Aged just 32, Cave retired from rugby at the end of last season after making over 200 appearances for Ulster and winning 11 caps for Ireland. He was also part of the 2015 Ireland World Cup squad.

He works as a rugby analyst and runs coffee and donut shop Guilt Trip in Belfast.

Ian Whitten

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15 January 2017; Ian Whitten of Exeter Chiefs during the European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 5 Round 5 match between against Ulster. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

The centre's two Ireland caps were won on that tour. Three years later, he left Ulster and joined Exeter Chiefs where he still plays. He was part of the Exeter team which won the 2016/17 Premiership title.

In February, he made his 150th appearance for the club.

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"He's underrated, but he's hugely rated within these four walls," head coach Ali Hepher told BBC Sport after the win against Northampton.

"He brings a work ethic every single day, and an intensity every single day.

"He's one of the last guys to leave his recovery, he understands what being a pro is and he's great example for the younger players.

"He's been a massive part of the success of this club over the past few years and he doesn't look like stopping."

Ian Dowling

Another player whose Ireland caps were earned on that turn.

Just like Barry Murphy, aged 28 Dowling was forced to retire from rugby in 2011. It was a hip injury which he sustained early in the 2010/11 season which led to him hanging up his boots.

He has run his own physiotherapy practise in Limerick since 2016 and was physio to the Tipperary footballers last year.

Ian Keatley

A career which began with Leinster, took in three years with Connacht, eight with Munster, and half a season with London Irish. The out-half currently plays in Italy with Benneton.

The game against Canada was Keatley's senior debut for Ireland. He would go on to win six more spread over eight years. His final cap came in a 2017 November international against Argentina.

Peter Stringer

In all, the scrum-half played 98 times for Ireland. Though the final cap was won in 2011 aged 33, the Corkman's rugby career was far from over.

After leaving Munster, he went on to play for Bath, Sale and Worcester. He was 40 when played for the latter.

Officially retired in the summer fo 2018.

Tom Court

7 May 2009; Queen Elizabeth II is introduced to members of the Irish rugby squad, including Tom Court, during a civic reception for the Ireland rugby squad at Hillsborough Castle, Co. Down. Picture credit: SPORTSFILE / John Harrison

The test against Canada was the Australian-born prop's third cap for Ireland. He had made his debut against Italy during Ireland's Grand Slam-winning 2009 Six Nations campaign. Court went on to win 32 caps in all, his final one coming in the summer of 2013.

After leaving Ulster in 2014, he joined London Irish. Court retired from rugby in 2017 and now works for the University of Queensland and also as a performance consultant.

Rory Best (c)

Then aged 26, Best captained Ireland on that summer tour, a role he could take up permanently later in his career.

The Ulster hooker won 124 caps for Ireland. He retired from rugby following last year's World Cup.

Tony Buckley

The man known as 'Mushy' won 28 caps for Ireland between his debut in 2007 and his final test during the 2011 World Cup against Russia.

The tighthead prop left Munster in 2011 and joined Sale Sharks. He retired from professional rugby in 2014 aged 33.

Now works for a pharmaceutical company in Limerick.

Bob Casey

A decade after making his Ireland debut, the second row returned to the green jersey for his first cap since 2000 for the game against Canada. Like others, his final cap was won the following weekend against USA.

Casey spent most of his career with London Irish, playing for the English club between 2002 and his retirement from the game in 2012.

He rejoined London Irish as operations director in 2014 and became CEO a year later. The Kildare man resigned from that role in 2017 and returned to Ireland.

He now works for recruitment company Korn Ferry.

Mick O'Driscoll

31 May 2009; Ireland's Bob Casey and Mick O'Driscoll, left, after the game. Setanta Challenge Cup, Ireland v USA Eagles, Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, California, USA. Picture credit: Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE

The second row won 23 caps between 2001 and 2011. His final international game was against Scotland in a World Cup warm-up game.

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O'Driscoll played over 200 times for Munster in two spells which spanned 1998 to 2012. There was a two-year stint in France with Perpignan in between.

He is now the managing director of Home Instead Senior Care in Cork North.

John Muldoon

The Portumna man made his Ireland debut against Canada. It was the first of three caps, the final one being 11 months later when Ireland took on New Zealand in New Plymouth.

Retired from rugby in 2018 after 17 years playing for Connacht.

He currently works as defence coach with Bristol Bears under former Connacht head coach Pat Lam.

Niall Ronan

19 February 2017; Niall Ronan of St Colmcille's in action against Phil Keegan of St. Patrick's Westport during the All-Ireland Intermediate club championship final at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

The Meath man, who played for Leinster and Munster, won four caps for Ireland between his debut against Canada and 2011 World Cup warm-up game against Scotland.

The backrow was forced to retire from rugby in April 2014 due to a knee injury sustained during a Munster training session the previous October.

Ronan subsequently completed a degree in strength and conditioning. He founded Titan Wellness in 2015, a company which runs health and well-being programmes for organisations.

He is also the strength and conditioning coach for the Meath footballers. In 2016, he won a Meath IFC title with St Colmcilles and dedicated the victory to former Munster teammate Anthony Foley who had died a week previous.

Denis Leamy

The number eight won 57 caps for Ireland between his debut in 2004 and his final game when stepping off the bench in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Wales.

He was forced to retire in 2012, aged just 30, due to a hip injury.

The Tipperary man went to work with Rockwell College, Garryowen in the AIL and Munster underage teams. He was also part of the backroom team when the Tipp hurlers won the 2016 All-Ireland title.

He joined Leinster as their elite player development officer in October 2019.

Others

Sean Cronin

Cronin didn't get off the bench against Canada or USA but he did make his Ireland debut later that year against Fiji.

The hooker was with Connacht at the time and two years later would move to Leinster. He has won 72 caps in total, though, only ten of those have been starts.

Mike Ross

The man who would become the long-term successor to John Hayes as Ireland's first choice tighthead prop made his debut against Canada. He went on to win 61 caps.

The Corkman retired from rugby at the end of the 2016/17 season aged 37.

He is now sales manager with Wizuda, a company which specialises in secure data transfer.

Donnacha Ryan

The second row won his second and third caps for Ireland on that tour. He had made his debut against Argentina in the previous year's November internationals.

Ryan went on to win 47 caps, the last of which came in 2017. Now in France with Racing 92, it seems unlikely that he will add to that number.

Chris Henry

27 September 2015; Chris Henry, left, and Donnacha Ryan, Ireland. 2015 Rugby World Cup, Pool D, Ireland v Romania, Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, England. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE

The Ulster backrow did not feature on that Northern American tour. However, he did make his Ireland debut a year later on a summer tour of Australia.

He went on to win 24 caps for Ireland, the last of which was in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina.

He retired from rugby in November 2018, aged 34.

"No matter how much I would love to finish the season with this talented group, my career has taken its toll physically, and so for the wellbeing of myself, my loving wife and my family, I will be retiring immediately," he said at the time.

He is now a territory manager with Applied Medical.

Denis Hurley

The Munster man's appearance off the bench in the win against USA was his only cap for Ireland.

Currently works as operations manager with Rugby Players Ireland, a role which he took up in 2018.

He is also a player and coach with Blackrock College RFC.

Niall O'Connor

The out-half never won a cap for Ireland.

He had two stints with Ulster and also played a year for Connacht.

O'Connor is a good friend of golfer Rory McIlroy. Late last year, with regular caddy Harry Diamond unavailable, O'Connor carried McIlroy's bag during the DP Tour World Championship in Dubai.

He is also senior vice-president of NJOY, an American company which manufactures e-cigarettes.

Eoin Reddan

Having made his debut in 2006, Reddan was well into his Ireland career by the time of that 2009 tour. He won 71 caps over a decade-long career.

He retired from rugby in 2016, announcing his decision a day before his final cap for Ireland on a summer tour of South Africa.

He is now the vice-president of marketing for aircraft leasing company Avolon.

Keith Matthews

28 May 2009; Ireland's Keith Matthews and John Muldoon, right, during a visit to Alcatraz Prison, San Francisco Bay, California, USA. Picture credit: Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE

Aged 29, the Connacht centre was forced to retire from rugby in 2011 due to an Achilles tendon injury picked up earlier that year. The Limerick man had played over 100 times for the province.

Now works for financial planning company Metis Ireland.

Bryan Young

The prop had already won eight caps by the time that 2009 tour swung around. Though, he never did add to his final one picked up in a 2007 World Cup warm-up game.

He left Ulster in 2011 and joined Italian side Cavalieri Prato.

He went onto work with Ulster a

He became head coach of the Dalriada School in Ballymoney in 2018.

Quiz: Can You Identify These 2000s Irish Rugby Players?

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