Denis Buckley

Denis Buckley
Full name Denis Buckley
Date of birth 9 August 1990
Place of birth Ballinasloe, Ireland
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 109 kilograms (17 st 2 lb)[1]
School Blackrock College
University NUI Galway
Rugby union career
Current status
Position(s) Prop
current team Connacht
Playing career
Position Prop
Amateur clubs
Years Club / team
Buccaneers
Professional / senior clubs
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2012- Connacht 65 (5)
correct as of 10 Feb 2015.
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2010 Ireland u20 3 (0)
correct as of 10 Feb 2015.

Denis Buckley (born 9 August 1990) is a rugby union player from Ireland. He predominantly plays as a loosehead prop. Buckley currently plays for Irish provincial team Connacht Rugby in the Pro12. He plays his club rugby for Buccaneers.

Early life

Raised in County Roscommon, Buckley first played rugby with local club Creggs RFC, later moving to Athlone-based team Buccaneers. Buckley was a student at the prestigious Blackrock College.[2] He has also studied at NUI Galway. Buckley joined the Connacht academy in 2009.

Career

Connacht

Buckley became part of Connacht's academy ahead of the 2009–10 season. In September 2011, while in his third year at the academy, Buckley made his first appearance for the team. He came on as a replacement in a 2011–12 Pro12 match against Benetton Treviso. His first European appearance came against Toulouse in the 2011–12 Heineken Cup on 14 January 2012, also as a replacement. Buckley made his first start on 24 February that year in a Pro 12 match with Edinburgh.[3] In total, his first season saw him make eight Pro 12 appearances and feature in two Heineken Cup games for the province.[4][5]

Buckley became part of Connacht's senior squad the following season and played more regularly for the team, starting seven matches in the 2012–13 Pro12 and making 15 appearances in the competition overall.[4] He also featured in five of the team's six matches in the 2012–13 Heineken Cup, starting in the game away against Zebre, and in both ties with Harlequins.[5] Buckley signed a new contract in November 2012 to keep him with the province until 2015.[6]

Buckley suffered a slow start to the following season, with injuries meaning he did not make his first appearance until 29 November 2013 when he was a replacement against Edinburgh in the 2013–14 Pro12. His next game came in that season's Heineken Cup, where he came on from the bench in a famous victory over four time European champions Toulouse in France.[7] He appeared in four of Connacht's pool games in the Cup, being a replacement on each occasion.[8] In February 2014, Connacht's first choice loosehead prop, Brett Wilkinson, suffered a neck injury against Saracens, which ultimately forced him to retire.[9] This saw Buckley play more frequently for the province, starting all but two of Connacht's remaining matches and featuring as a replacement in the others. Buckley made a total of 14 appearances in the 2013–14 Pro12, six of these coming as a replacement.[4]

International

Buckley has also been involved with Ireland at under-age international level. He was part of the Irish set up at school's and Under-18 level.[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ercrugby.com/statistics/player_archive.php?player=94704&includeref=dynamic
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Denis lines out for Ireland U-18s". Roscommon People. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Buckley handed full Connacht start". RTĖ Sport. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Connacht Squad Index: Denis Buckley". RaboDirectPRO12. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Player Archive: Dennis Buckley". ERC. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Prop Denis Buckley commits his future to Connacht". RTĖ Sport. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Lam basks in glow of Connacht's finest hour". Irish Independent. 8 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Player Archive: Denis Buckley". ERC. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "'Devastated' Wilkinson forced to retire". Irish Independent. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.