Gavin Duffy

Gavin Duffy

Duffy warming up prior to a 2011-12 Heineken Cup group stage match versus Toulouse
Full name	Gavin Duffy
Date of birth	(1981-09-18) 18 September 1981
Place of birth	Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	14 st 11 lb (94 kg)
School	Cistercian College, Roscrea
University	University College Galway Setanta College
Occupation(s)	Professional rugby union footballer
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Fullback, Inside Centre
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
	University College Galway R.F.C. Ballina RFC Galwegians RFC
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2003–2006	Harlequins F.C.	110	(40)
Provincial/State sides
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2001–2003 2006–present	Connacht Connacht	20 153	(5) 1t (78) 15t
correct as of 31 January 2014.
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2005–2009 2004–present 2000	Ireland Ireland Wolfhounds  Ireland	10 6	(18) 3t

Gavin Duffy (born 18 September 1981) is an Irish rugby union footballer who primarily plays at full back or as a centre. He currently for Irish provincial side Connacht Rugby, in the Pro 12.

Educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea and UCG he first played for Ireland at Schools level in 1998 and at Under-21 level before he was brought into their senior side during the 2000-01 season. He is also a graduate of the prestigious sports college Setanta College.

Duffy also played Gaelic football for Mayo at under-age level. In the 1999 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship he played in the final, losing 1–14 to 0–14 against Down, as part of a team that included many players who went on to become regulars in the senior inter-county Mayo squad.

Club Rugby

Early career

Duffy played for the amateur clubs UCG, his university team, Ballina RFC, his hometown's side and Galway city-based Galwegians RFC, before playing for his native province of Connacht. Duffy first played Celtic League rugby with Connacht in 2001, and played 7 times in the 2001-02 Celtic League and 6 times in the 2001-02 European Challenge Cup, scoring 1 try in the league. In the following season, he played twice in the league and 5 times in the Challenge. During his time at Connacht, Duffy attracted the attention of larger sides. He refused an offer from Munster, as they had already signed the former All Black, Christian Cullen, who played the same positions as Duffy, and moved to the English club Harlequins from Connacht in the summer of 2003.

Move abroad

Having joined Harlequins, Duffy made his league debut for the Premiership side in a game against Rotherham Titans on 20 September 2003. He was part of the team that won the 2003-04 European Challenge Cup. Duffy scored two tries in the 1st Round rout of El Salvador. Harlequins went on to eventually face Connacht, beating Duffy's former team in the semi-finals over two legs. Duffy himself started at fullback in both the first^[1] and second^[2] matches. He also started in the final, scoring a crucial try in a single point victory over AS Montferrand.^[3] The club was relegated in the 2005-05 season, Duffy stayed with the team as they won the 2005–06 National Division One, England's second tier league. Duffy remained with Harlequins until 2006. During his time there, he earned 110 caps, making 92 starts and 18 replacement appearances, as well as scoring 21 tries.

Return to Connacht

Duffy rejoined Connacht in late 2006, going on to become a mainstay of the Connacht team. He was named as captain for the 2011–12 season, replacing his Galwegians clubmate and fellow Ireland cap-holder John Muldoon in the role.^[4] In the 2011-12 Heineken Cup Duffy scored a try against former club Harlequins, as well as against Gloucester. He scored 4 tries for Connacht in the Pro 12, starting all 22 of their games,^[5] as well as all six of their Heineken Cup matches.^[6]

For the 2012-13 season, Duffy did not play as regularly in the same positions for the side. This was primarily due to injuries, along with the emergence of the young Robbie Henshaw and the continued use of Dave McSharry, at Duffy's primary positions of fullback and inside centre respectively. Duffy failed to play in any of Connacht's 2012-13 Heineken Cup matches, while his appearances in the 2012-13 Pro 12 went down to 16, 3 of these coming from the bench.

For the 2013–14 Pro 12 and Heineken Cup, Duffy started out the season sharing the captaincy with both Muldoon and Connacht's longest serving player, Michael Swift.^[7] However, after a poor run of form culminating in a 43-10 defeat against Edinburgh, Craig Clarke, a New Zealand native and the former captain of the Chiefs, was made Connacht's team captain with Duffy and the others continuing to "lead off the field".^[8]

International career

Duffy has played for the Ireland sevens team. He played in the Dubai Sevens in 2000. In November 2001, he won his first Ireland A cap against New Zealand at Ravenhill and his performances for Harlequins in the 2003–04 European Challenge Cup saw him called into the senior Ireland squad for the first time for the 2004 tour to South Africa.

He won his first cap on that trip when coming on as a replacement during the second test. In February 2005, he won his second cap when again coming on as a replacement against Scotland, marking the occasion by scoring his first international try. He was selected to play at outside centre for Ireland in both summer Tests in Japan in 2005, scoring two tries in the second Test.

Duffy was the only Connacht player included in the Ireland squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He was called up to the 2011 Six Nations Championship squad for the game against Italy.^[9]

References

External links

• IRFU profile
• ESPNscrum profile