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Nick Timoney

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Nick Timoney
Birth nameNicholas Timoney
Date of birth (1995-08-01) 1 August 1995 (age 29)
Place of birthDublin, Ireland
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight114.09 kg (251.5 lb; 17 st 13.5 lb)[1]
SchoolBlackrock College
UniversityQueen's University Belfast
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Current team Ulster
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–2015 St Mary's College ()
2015–2017 Queen's University ()
2017– Banbridge ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017– Ulster 152 (185)
Correct as of 29 November 2024[2]
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–2015 Ireland U20 8 (0)
2021– Ireland 3 (15)
2022 Ireland Wolfhounds 1 (0)
Correct as of 15 November 2022
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2017 Ireland 7s 4

Nick Timoney (born 1 August 1995) is an Irish rugby union player, who plays in the back row for Ulster and Ireland. He is regarded as a "hybrid" player, an athletic forward with the pace of a back.[3] He was named in the 2021–22 United Rugby Championship Dream Team.[4]

In his youth, Timoney played number eight for Blackrock College in Dublin, helping his team win the 2013 Leinster Schools Senior Cup, and captaining his school during the successful 2014 season.[5][6] He then played for St Mary's RFC in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League.[7] He played for Leinster's age-grade teams up to under-20 level, and won eight caps for the Ireland under-20s, appearing in all three back row positions in the 2015 under-20 Six Nations and the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship, but was not offered a place in the Leinster academy.[6] He turned down an offer from Pau in the French Top 14,[3] and joined Ulster's academy on a two-year contract ahead of the 2015–16 season.[6] He made his first senior start towards the end of the 2016–17 season,[8] with director of rugby Les Kiss remarking that he had had a "very good year".[9] He played as a forward for the Ireland national rugby sevens team that played in the 2017 Sevens Grand Prix Series and took first place in the 2017 Moscow Sevens.[10]

He made 20 appearances for Ulster in the 2017–18 season, scoring five tries and making 222 tackles,[11] and was named Young Player of the Year and Academy Player of the Year in the Ulster Rugby Awards.[12] He was awarded his first senior contract in February 2018.[13] In the 2018–19 season he made 27 appearances, and was the team's leading tackler with 303.[14] In the 2020–21 season he made 17 appearances, making 212 tackles and 13 turnovers.[15] After Marcell Coetzee's departure in March, he became the team's regular number eight,[3] and was named Rugby Writers' Player of the Year in the Ulster Rugby Awards.[16] In June 2021 he was called up to the senior Ireland squad for the Summer tests,[17] and scored a try in his debut in a 71–10 victory over the United States on 10 July.[18]

In the 2021–22 season, with the arrival of South African number eight Duane Vermeulen, he has primarily played at openside flanker.[19] He captained Ulster for the first time on 20 February 2022 in an away win against Scarlets,[20] and made his 100th appearance for the province in the second leg of the Champions Cup round of 16 tie against Toulouse in April the same year.[21] He led the United Rugby Championship in tackles with 274, 64 ahead of Ulster teammate Alan O'Connor in second place.[22] He also led the European Rugby Champions Cup in tackles at the end of the pool stage with 78,[23] and was nominated for Ulster's men's player of the year award.[24] He was called up to the Ireland squad for their 2022 tour of New Zealand[25] and their two-match tour of South Africa in July 2024.[26] He made his 150th appearance for Ulster against Connacht in October 2024.[27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ulster Rugby player profile
  2. ^ Playing stats at ItsRugby.co.uk
  3. ^ a b c "Ulster's athletic 'hybrid' Timoney earns Ireland shot with determined progress", The42, 29 June 2021
  4. ^ "The United Rugby Championship Dream Team Has Been Named", United Rugby, 7 June 2021
  5. ^ "It’ll take one hell of a team to stop Rock", Irish Times, Gavin Cumminskey, 22 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "Leinster underage product Timoney heads north to join Ulster", The42, 28 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Leinster’s backrow conveyor belt maintains quality production line", Irish Times, 5 January 2015.
  8. ^ "URTV: Nick Timoney discusses his first cap for Ulster", YouTube, 8 April 2017
  9. ^ "Ulster's Kiss keeping faith despite top stars out of crunch Ospreys clash", Belfast Telegraph, 26 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Moscow success gives Ireland Sevens World Cup boost", Irish Times, John O'Sullivan, 5 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Ulster Rugby: Who did what 2017-18", The Front Row Union, 25 June 2018
  12. ^ "Cooney scoops three awards at Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards Dinner", Ulster Rugby, 10 May 2018
  13. ^ "Ulster pair Gilroy and Timoney extend contracts with Kingspan side", BBC Sport, 14 February 2018
  14. ^ "Ulster Men: Who did what 2018-19", The Front Row Union, 18 July 2018
  15. ^ "Ulster 2020-21: Who Did What?", The Front Row Union, 12 August 2021
  16. ^ "Henderson Leads The Winners At Ulster Rugby Awards", IrishRugby.ie, 7 June 2021
  17. ^ "Ireland Squad Confirmed For Vodafone Summer Series". Irish Rugby. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Baloucoune wonder try sparks Ireland to life as they put 71 points on USA". the42. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  19. ^ Jonathan Bradley, "Ulster flanker Nick Timoney won’t change his game to suit anybody else", Belfast Telegraph, 8 October 2021
  20. ^ Jonathan Bradley, "Ulster return to top of URC standings as they master Storm Eunice in Newport to edge out Dragons", Belfast Telegraph, 20 February 2022
  21. ^ Jonathan Bradley, "Toulouse have to mix it up with key names missing, as Nick Timoney hits 100th Ulster cap", Belfast Telegraph, 16 April 2022
  22. ^ United Rugby Championship Players' Statistics, retrieved 20 June 2022
  23. ^ Players' Statistics, European Professional Club Rugby, retrieved 3 May 2022
  24. ^ "Vote for your player of the year in the 2021/22 Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards", Ulster Rugby, 15 June 2022
  25. ^ Gerry Thornley, "Ireland name their 40-man squad for tour of New Zealand", The Irish Times, 14 June 2022
  26. ^ "Ireland Squad Update", Irish Rugby, 8 July 2024
  27. ^ "Match Report | Ulster 32-27 Connacht", Ulster Rugby, 12 October 2025
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