Advertisement

Irishman Shane O'Leary gets call-up to Canada trials before June Tests

The 24-year-old left Connacht at the end of the season.

IRISHMAN SHANE O’LEARY has been called up to Canada’s squad for two domestic trial games before they name their final selection for the June Tests against Romania, Georgia and the US.

The uncapped O’Leary recently left Connacht after three seasons under Pat Lam and previously played for French outfit Grenoble.

Shane O’Leary celebrates O'Leary was part of last season's Pro12 triumph. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

The out-half is a native of Cork who grew up in Ballina, across the river Shannon from Killaloe on the border between Tipperary and Clare.

The 24-year-old played club rugby with Ballina-Killaloe RFC and went on to represent Munster at U18, U19 and U20 levels.

O’Leary, whose mother is Canadian, played for the Canada U20s at the 2013 Junior World Trophy, when he was the tournament’s top-scorer with 45 points as he helped his side to second place overall.

O’Leary, who also covers midfield, had been playing senior club rugby with Young Munster in Limerick, but Rugby Canada helped him to distribute his CV in France as O’Leary looked to break into the professional game.

After a week’s trial at Grenoble, where Bernard Jackman and ex-Young Munster director of rugby Mike Prendergast were working at the time, O’Leary signed academy terms with the then Top 14 club.

O’Leary played five times for Grenoble in the Challenge Cup during his single season in France, before earning a move back to Ireland with Connacht.

The former Killaloe Community College student played more than 20 times for Connacht over the last three seasons but departed at the end of this year’s campaign and is currently unattached to a club.

However, Canada head coach Mark Anscombe – formerly in charge of Ulster – has called O’Leary into his 25-man ‘Pacific Tyee’ roster for two trial games against Canadian sides BC Bears and Prairie Wolf Pack in the coming weeks.

Shane O’Leary celebrates after the game O'Leary left Connacht at the end of the current season. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Canada face an important summer as they meet Romania on 10 June, take on Georgia a week later and then clash with the US over two legs in a 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifier.

“These games are crucial as we determine our squad for next month’s critical Test matches,” said Anscombe. “The Bears and Wolf Pack will provide quality opposition and we’ve selected a squad that features a number of Test-proven players.”

Anscombe will confirm his final squad for the June Tests at a later date.

- This article was updated at 1.43pm to add the word ‘in’ to the third paragraph.

The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!

Munster’s U20 star Nash grateful for Conway and Earls’ influence as he goes from strength to strength

Ex-Ireland Schools prop Jager to face Lions in New Zealand tour opener

Close
Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Oval Digest
    Favourite Oval Digest
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 8:25 AM

    Brilliant interview.

    Everyone is a critic online and we all discuss player’s performances every week.

    But some of the stuff Williams was subjected to over the years by ‘fans’ was just nasty and personal.

    Good to hear he has some perspective on it. He had a pro rugby career with one of the biggest teams in Europe. Everyone commenting here and elsewhere would kill for that.

    226
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Decko49
    Favourite Decko49
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 8:33 AM

    @Oval Digest: Your right. The criticism he received was deplorable at times. The fans who went to see Munster week in week out appreciated Duncan. It’s the armchair supporters and the keyboard warriors who think they know it all. Dave Kearney suffered a lot of the same. They guys are great professionals and do their very best. They deserve better

    119
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chicinho
    Favourite Chicinho
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 11:41 AM

    @Oval Digest: brilliant interview is right! Most normal folk freak out when they’ve annual performance reviews yet give it loads of the same week in week out to others that just happen to be gifted at sport!

    Always found him a frustratingly solid guy to play against when he wore the Jolly Roger on his shirt. He continued in that vein and had a career albeit not in the highlight that was the dream of many!

    Fair play!

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute RabidHorizon
    Favourite RabidHorizon
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 8:36 AM

    I wish I was a Munster cap behind you Dunc. Enjoy whatever you do next. A great servant to Munster rugby.

    98
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan Meany
    Favourite Jonathan Meany
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 8:56 AM

    @RabidHorizon: Well said!

    36
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ger
    Favourite Ger
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 8:28 AM

    O’Mahony’s tribute says it all. Totally underestimated player.

    58
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cormac Ó Braonáin
    Favourite Cormac Ó Braonáin
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 9:23 AM

    Loved the guy. Persevered through it all and just got on with it. Used to frustrate me a lot but towards the end of his career he was rock solid and the best 9 that regularly played in the league.

    37
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ted O'Dalaigh
    Favourite Ted O'Dalaigh
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 9:39 AM

    Always liked him, never deserved the grief he got which was almost always on the back of his forwards going backwards.

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute TL55
    Favourite TL55
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 10:07 AM

    Very unfortunate with injuries & being compared to Stringer, O’Leary & Murray.

    Great servant to Munster Rugby. Best for your next Career Duncan

    32
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Con Henihan
    Favourite Con Henihan
    Report
    Dec 26th 2019, 12:12 PM

    @TL55: how is being compared to his peers unfortunate?

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Peter McCarthy
    Favourite Peter McCarthy
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 12:42 PM

    The way he was treated by a tiny fraction of Munster supporters was very unpleasant. Shows a nasty underside. Not at all a pop at Munster btw, every single sports team in the world has trolls like them, unfortunately. Plenty on these pages. Just have to mute them until they slither off. Met him a few times through work. One of the game’s nice guys. Absolute gent.

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Decko49
    Favourite Decko49
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 1:03 PM

    @Peter McCarthy: Yes you’re right. Some Munster fans didn’t treat him right. But we have to remember these guys try their best. But some are not as good as others. So long as they genuinely try their best that’s all you can ask. I think he he’s a very good last season with Munster.

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cortiss
    Favourite Cortiss
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 8:32 AM

    He should go down to leinster and pass his experience onto McGrath and the young lads like he did with Murray and matthewson at Munster.

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Mulcahy
    Favourite Alan Mulcahy
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 3:43 PM

    Great professional, gave his all every time.
    You can’t as for any more.

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Aaron
    Favourite Aaron
    Report
    Dec 25th 2019, 9:12 AM

    Will never forget that double tackle in Sandy Park, unreal

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute De Zach Same
    Favourite De Zach Same
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 6:51 PM

    I can empathize with him as I wasn’t great at scrum half either and got plenty of abuse from the sidelines. Difference was he stuck at it and never gave in to the haters and reached a seriously high level in rugby.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mark Smith
    Favourite Mark Smith
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 1:02 PM

    It’s a tough world when you are not blessed the the same high skill set as most of the players around you.

    Unfortunately he was just a squad player and a ream of Munsters standing always needs and demands a higher calibre of player when they are one of the top teams in Europe.

    I am sure he is a dead on bloke and you can feel the hurt from him in his interview but at the end of the day it’s a professional sport and you have to take the rough with the smooth

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Mulcahy
    Favourite Alan Mulcahy
    Report
    Dec 24th 2019, 3:51 PM

    @Mark Smith: “take the rough with the smooth” – nobody deserves personal abuse for just doing their best.
    I would love if each brave abuser had to wear a t-shirt with their quotes on, and walk through a crowd of ex players (with no cameras). Imagine how brave they would be then!

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute UKL
    Favourite UKL
    Report
    Dec 25th 2019, 9:54 PM

    Dunc has the one of the most admirable traits you could look for in a person, perseverance.

    He wasn’t a superstar 9, but you could never doubt the guys heart – and in his last few seasons, I think he was pretty good.

    2
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.