Ian McKinley
| Date of birth | 4 December 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (14 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ian McKinley (born 4 December 1989) is an Irish rugby union player for Italian side Benetton Treviso in the Pro12. He plays as a Fly-half.
Career
In 2011, after playing 6 times for Irish province Leinster, McKinley was forced to retire from rugby union after losing the sight in his left eye. However, despite the blindness in one eye, McKinley made a return to rugby in 2014 in Italy using specially manufactured goggles, firstly with Leonorso in a regional third division match, in which McKinley scored 28 points, and then with Viadana on a two-year contract in the National Championship of Excellence, which, in turn, led to him being signed by another Italian side, Zebre as Fly-half cover for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and 2016 Six Nations Championship. Shortly afterwards, McKinley was signed by Treviso ahead of the 2016–17 Pro12 season and, following his qualification for the national team in January 2017, he was selected in Italy's squad for the 2017 Summer Tests.[1][2][3]
References
- ↑ "Ian McKinley set for poignant Leinster return with Treviso". irishtimes.com. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ↑ "Ian McKinley: Fly-half called up by Italy six years after losing sight in left eye". bbc.co.uk. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ↑ "A stray boot blinded Ian McKinley in one eye but he's back playing top-level rugby". theguardian.com. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2017.