| Full name | Desmond Joseph O'Brien | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1919-05-22)22 May 1919 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 26 December 2005(2005-12-26) (aged 86) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Lasswade, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||
| School | Belvedere College | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Business executive | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Desmond Joseph O'Brien (22 May 1919 — 26 December 2005) was an Irish rugby union international.
O'Brien, born in Dublin and educated at Belvedere College, was a back-row forward. After winning two Leinster Senior Cup titles with Old Belvedere, his job with Guinness brought him to London in the 1940s, during which time played for Wasps and London Irish, captaining the latter. By the early 1950s, O'Brien worked in Wales and had two seasons with Cardiff.
A Leinster representative player, O'Brien was capped 20 times for Ireland. Debuting as a 28-year old in 1948, he played three of four Tests in that year's Five Nations Championship, with Ireland achieving the grand slam. He captained Ireland against the touring Springboks in 1951, for the 1952 Five Nations and on the 1952 tour of South America.
O'Brien was team manager on the 1966 British Lions tour.
Since the 1960s, O'Brien lived in the Edinburgh area and held executive roles in the brewery industry. He was General Manager of Guinness Scotland and later a Director at Harp Lager.
See also
References
- "O'Brien, Desmond Joseph ('Des')". Dictionary of Irish Biography.
- "One of Ireland's most illustrious backrow forwards". The Irish Times. 31 December 2005.
- "Des O'Brien". Irish Independent. 1 January 2006.
- "Des O'Brien". The Independent. 31 December 2005.
External links
- Des O'Brien at ESPNscrum
| Ireland national rugby union team captains | |
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| To 1900 |
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| To the First World War |
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| To the Second World War |
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| To the professional era |
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| To the present day |
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- 1919 births
- 2005 deaths
- Irish rugby union players
- Ireland international rugby union players
- Ireland national rugby union team captains
- Rugby union players from Dublin (city)
- Rugby union number eights
- Old Belvedere R.F.C. players
- Wasps RFC players
- London Irish players
- Cardiff RFC players
- Irish expatriates in Scotland
- Irish business executives
- People educated at Belvedere College
- Leinster Rugby players