Ian Porter (rugby union)
| Birth name | Ian Porter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 4 April 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Banbridge, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 85 kg (13 st 5 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Banbridge Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Queens University, Belfast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ian Porter (born 4 April 1988) is a rugby union player from Ireland. His main position is at Scrum-half. Porter most recently played professionally for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro12, and has also played for his native province of Ulster.
Career
[edit]Ulster
[edit]Though he also played amateur rugby for Belfast Harlequins and Banbridge, Porter's first professional rugby club was Ulster. Porter came through Ulster's academy system, playing for the Under-19 and Under-20 sides, and in 2009 was nominated for the province's 'Academy Player of the Year' award.[1]
In January 2010 it was announced that Porter was among nine players who had signed contracts with Ulster, meaning he would play for the senior side starting in the 2010–11 season.[2] He made his full debut for the senior side on 11 September 2010 in the 2010–11 Celtic League, coming off the bench against Italian side Aironi.[3] He also featured off the bench against Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues.[4][5] However, having started off the season as second choice to Paul Marshall at scrum-half, the signing of Ruan Pienaar saw him drop to third choice and Porter finished the season with just three league appearances, all as a replacement.[6]
In the 2011–12 season, Porter continued as third choice, making five replacement appearances in the 2011–12 Pro12, the league having been renamed.[6] Porter took a one-year sabbatical from playing the following season and did not feature for Ulster, returning in 2013.[1] He returned from his long absence with an appearance from the bench against Newport Gwent Dragons in the 2013–14 Pro12 on 6 September 2013. Porter made his first-ever senior start for the province the following week against Glasgow Warriors.[6] Porter left Ulster at the end of the 2013–14 season.[citation needed]
Connacht
[edit]It was announced in May 2014 that Porter had agreed a deal Ulster's Irish rivals Connacht. He signed a two-year contract and joined the team ahead of the 2014–15 season.[7] Porter signed as cover to Connacht's Kieran Marmion, replacing outgoing players Frank Murphy and Paul O'Donohoe.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Ian Porter". Corner Flag Management. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Ulster confirm nine contracts". Breaking News. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Aironi Rugby 15 - 22 Ulster Rugby". RaboDirectPRO12. 6 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Ulster Rugby 29 - 21 Edinburgh Rugby". RaboDirectPRO12. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Cardiff Blues 15 - 37 Ulster Rugby". RaboDirectPRO12. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ a b c "Ulster Squad Index: Ian Porter". RaboDirectPRO12. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Connacht sign Ian Porter and Shane O'Leary". RTÉ Sport. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Parks leads Connacht outgoings". Irish Independent. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.