Conor McKeon

Conor McKeon (born 4 january 1994) is a rugby union player from Ireland. He primarily played fly-half for most of his youth career, before changing to scrum-half at senior level. McKeon played professionally for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14 having come through the team's academy, and played his club rugby for Athlone-based side Buccaneers.

Conor McKeon
Date of birth (1994-01-04) 4 January 1994
Place of birthDublin, Ireland
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight83 kg (13.1 st; 183 lb)
SchoolGonzaga College
UniversityNUI Galway
Notable relative(s)Eoin McKeon (second cousin)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013–2015
2015–2019		 Lansdowne
Buccaneers		 ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015–2019 Connacht 4 (4)
Correct as of 24 April 2019
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012
2013
2014		 Ireland U18
Ireland U19
Ireland U20

10

(11)
Correct as of 19 January 2018

In April 2019, it was announced that McKeon would retire from rugby due to injury. His retirement came at the end of the 2018–19 season aged just 25.

Early life

McKeon was born in Dublin, and grew up in Rathfarnham. He played rugby from a young age, with St Mary's, and also played hurling with Ballyboden St. Enda's. McKeon attended Gonzaga College in Ranelagh, where he chose to focus exclusively on rugby.[1] During his time in the college, he played as a fly-half and was part of the school's team in the Leinster Senior Cup.[2] After leaving school, McKeon joined All-Ireland League side Lansdowne. He received his third level education at NUI Galway, where he studied commerce.[1][3]

Rugby career

Connacht

Having played under-age rugby for his native Leinster, McKeon joined the academy of rival province Connacht in 2014. His second cousin Eoin was already an established part of the senior squad.[4] Despite being part of the Connacht academy, McKeon continued to play for Dublin-based Lansdowne throughout the season, as the team qualified for the All-Ireland League final.[5] McKeon missed the team's victory over Clontarf however,[6] as he made his senior Connacht debut on 9 May 2015, the same day the final took place. He came off the bench against Zebre, kicking two conversions.[7]

In his second season in the academy, McKeon joined the Athlone-based Connacht Branch club Buccaneers.[1][8] He made his second appearance for the province against Zebre.[7] Ahead of the 2016–17 season, McKeon was converted from a fly-half to a scrum-half by the Connacht coaches.[9] Although he did not make any first team appearances during his third year in the academy, but was named the province's Academy Player of the Year, helped Buccaneers earn promotion to the top flight of the AIL and earned a senior contract for the following season.[10]

In his first season as a senior player, McKeon made just one appearance, playing off the bench in the 2017–18 Pro14 game against the Cheetahs.[7] In the 2018–19 season he made his European debut, coming off the bench against Bordeaux Bègles in the Challenge Cup.[11] In that game however, McKeon suffered a serious shoulder injury.[12] No time-frame was given for his return to competitive action.[13] In April 2019, it was announced that McKeon would retire from the game at the end of the season due to his ongoing struggles with injury.[14]

International

McKeon has represented Ireland internationally at under-age level. His performances for Gonzaga saw him called up to the Ireland schools team for the European Under-18 Championship in 2012, where he was starting out-half of the side that finished as runners-up in the competition.[15][16] The following year, he was part of the under-19 team.[17] McKeon was part of Mike Ruddock's Ireland under-20 team for the 2014 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. He made appearances in all five of the team's games in the tournament, scoring one penalty against France.[18] McKeon was also named in the squad for Junior World Championship later that year.[19] He was kept out of the starting side by Ross Byrne but appeared from the bench in all five of Ireland's games, scoring eight points, as the team finished fourth.[20][21][22][23][24]

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References
  1. "The Future is Bright: Conor McKeon (Second year academy)". Irish Independent. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  2. "Powerful pack may give Blackrock the edge over St Michael's". Irish Times. 16 March 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  3. Rooney, Declan (27 October 2017). "NUI Galway renew deal with province". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2017. NUI Galway became Connacht's Academy and University partner in 2013, and since then 19 Connacht players have graduated, or are about to graduate, from NUI Galway including current senior squad members Denis Buckley, Eoin Griffin, Eoin McKeon, Andrew Browne, Dave Heffernan, Jack Carty, Darragh Leader, Eoghan Masterson, Seán O'Brien and Conor McKeon.
  4. "World Cup youngsters boost Carolan's Connacht Academy". Galway Advertiser. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  5. "Lansdowne Prevail In Extra-Time Thriller". Irish Rugby. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  6. "Lansdowne land second title with thrilling UBL final win over Clontarf". The42. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  7. "Player Profile: Conor McKeon". Pro14. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019.
  8. "Buccs look to rebound after first loss". Galway Advertiser. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  9. "Connacht bring in Bundee Aki and four others for Dragons trip". Irish Times. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  10. "Academy trio graduate to senior squad". Connacht Rugby. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  11. "Player: Conor McKeon". European Professional Club Rugby. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019.
  12. "Two-try Godwin helps Connacht to Challenge Cup win over Bordeaux". The42. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  13. "Connacht in the market for Irish-qualified scrum-half as injury cover". The42. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  14. "Griffin and McKeon retire as seven other players set to leave Connacht". The42. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  15. "Ireland Schools Team Unchanged For European Final". Irish Rugby. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  16. "Leavy: Tournament Was An Unbelievable Experience". Irish Rugby. 8 April 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  17. "Six Changes For Ireland Under-19s". Irish Rugby. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  18. "Ireland U20 Squad Profiles: Conor McKeon". Irish Rugby. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  19. "Ireland U-20 Squad Named For Junior World Championship". Irish Rugby. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  20. "IRB Junior World Championship 2014, Match 4". World Rugby. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  21. "IRB Junior World Championship 2014, Match 11". World Rugby. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  22. "IRB Junior World Championship 2014, Match 13". World Rugby. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  23. "IRB Junior World Championship 2014, Match 23". World Rugby. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  24. "IRB Junior World Championship 2014, Match 29". World Rugby. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
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