| Date of birth | 22 October 1983 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 85 kg | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Scrum Half | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2005–present | Munster | 114 | (57) |
| correct as of 27 Dec 2011. | |||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2007–present 2006-present |
Ireland Ireland A |
22 8 |
(15) (0) |
| correct as of 21 Aug 2011. | |||
Tomás O'Leary (born 22 October 1983) is an Irish Rugby Union player, playing in the scrum half position for Munster and Dolphin RFC. The son of Cork hurler, Seánie O'Leary, Tomás played Gaelic football and hurling before committing to Rugby.
O'Leary attended Christian Brothers College (CBC) for his second level education. CBC has a rugby tradition and this is where O'Leary first started playing. He was recognised as a talent and played Munster Schools Senior Cup for the school. During this time he continued to play hurling and won minor Munster and All-Ireland titles with Cork in 2000 and 2001.
After he completed school, O'Leary chose to continue with his rugby career instead of playing within the Gaelic Athletic Association. He was a member of the Irish U-21 side that reached the final of the 2004 Under 21 Rugby World Cup. Munster announced that O'Leary would be a member of the squad for the following year in August 2005. An injury to Peter Stringer early in the 2005/2006 season meant O'Leary had a chance to play, making his Heineken Cup debut against Sale Sharks in October 2005. He is currently registered to Dolphin rugby club.
O'Leary played a prominent role in Munster's Heineken Cup winning campaigns in 2005/06 and 2007/08, especially in the knockout stages of the 2007/08 tournament. In addition to his Munster commitments, he was named in the Irish squad to tour Argentina in the summer of 2007 where he earned his first cap as a sub on 26 May. He made his first Test start for Ireland against New Zealand on the 15th November 2008.
He was a member of the victorious Ireland team that won the 2009 Six Nations Championship and Grand Slam [1] and was named to take part in the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa.[2] On 24 April, however, during a Munster match against Scarlets, O'Leary was stretchered off the field with a broken ankle, which ruled him out of the tour of South Africa.[3][4] O'Leary scored his first try for Ireland in the 29–11 2010 Six Nations Championship opener against Italy. O'Leary was awarded Man Of The Match for his outstanding performance during Ireland's 27–12 win over Wales at Croke Park on 13 March 2010. He broke his thumb against Leinster in October 2010 and was ruled out for 6–8 weeks.[5] O'Leary recovered to fitness and featured against Italy and France during the 2011 Six Nations, but a troublesome back and a freak eye injury sustained during training ruled him out of the remainder of the tournament. Injury and the form of Conor Murray kept him out of the Munster team for the rest of the 2010/11 season, but O'Leary was selected in Ireland's training squad for the 2011 World Cup warm-ups in August. However, O'Leary did not make the final 30-man squad for the World Cup in New Zealand.[6]
| Preceded by Richie Murray (Galway) |
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship winning captain 2001 |
Succeeded by Michael Rice (Kilkenny) |
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