Craig Gilroy

Craig Gilroy
Date of birth (1991-03-11) 11 March 1991 (age 33)
Place of birthBelfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight93 kg (14 st 9 lb; 205 lb)
SchoolMethodist College Belfast
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing / Fullback
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Dungannon ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–2023 Ulster 213 (345)
Correct as of 5 May 2022[1]
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011
2014
2014–2015
2012–2017		 Ireland U20
Emerging Ireland
Ireland Wolfhounds
Ireland		 6
3
2
10		 (10)
(20)
(10)
(25)
Correct as of 11 February 2017

Craig Gilroy (born 11 March 1991) is an Irish rugby union player who played wing for Ulster, and a former Ireland international. He was Ulster's player of the year in 2014–15, and was named in the Pro12 Dream Team twice.

Born in Bangor, County Down, he played Gaelic football and soccer in his teens. He attended Methodist College Belfast, where he played rugby in a team that won the Ulster Schools' Cup twice. After he left school, Justin Fitzpatrick signed him for Dungannon, and his form in the All-Ireland League led to him joining the Ulster academy in 2010.[2] He scored the first try at the Aviva Stadium, in an exhibition match between an Ulster-Leinster team against a Munster-Connacht team in August 2010.[3]

He made his first start for Ulster, scoring two tries, against Cardiff in the Magners League in November 2010.[4] He made 14 appearances, scoring 8 tries, in the 2010–11 season,[1] and was named Academy Player of the Year in the 2011 Ulster Rugby Awards.[5] The following season he made 29 appearances, scoring six tries, as Ulster made the 2012 Heineken Cup Final.[1] He was invited to train with the Ireland team for the 2012 Six Nations Championship, and made his debut for Ireland in May 2012 in a friendly against the Barbarians, scoring two tries.[6] He was awarded Ulster's Young Player of the Year for the 2011–12 season,[7] and was nominated for Irish Young Player of the Year, losing out to Munster's Peter O'Mahony.[citation needed]

In November 2012 he scored a hat-trick of tries for Ireland in a non-test match against Fiji at Thomond Park,[8] He made his international test debut, scoring one try, against Argentina soon after.[9] Early in the 2012–13 season, Gilroy signed a three-year contract extension to remain with Ulster until summer 2016.[10] In February 2015 he earned his 100th cap for Ulster in a 43–3 win over Benetton Treviso, scoring two tries in a Man of the Match performance.[11] He was named in the Pro12 Dream Team two years running, in 2014–15[12] and 2015–16.[13] He was Ulster's Player of the Year in 2014–15.[14] He scored a hat trick of tries for Ireland against Italy in the Stadio Olimpico in a 63–10 win in the 2017 Six Nations.[15] He made his 200th appearance for Ulster against Ospreys in December 2021.[16] In April 2023 Gilroy announced his departure from Ulster at the end of the season.[17]

  1. ^ a b c Playing statistics at ItsRugby.co.uk
  2. ^ "Craig Gilroy played in school team with Jackson and was Six Nations regular", Belfast Telegraph, 4 April 2018
  3. ^ "Leinster/Ulster cut loose as Aviva opens in spectacular try fest", Irish Examiner, 2 August 2010
  4. ^ Ciaran Donaghy, "New Ulster star born to be on big stage", Belfast Telegraph, 22 November 2010
  5. ^ Niall Crozier, "Boks bag top gongs at awards", Belfast Telegraph, 11 May 2011
  6. ^ "Barbarians 29–28 Ireland". BBC Sport. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Ferris lost for words as he scoops top Ulster award", News Letter, 12 May 2012
  8. ^ "Ireland XV 53–0 Fiji". BBC Sport. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Ireland show no mercy against Pumas". ESPN. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  10. ^ IrishRugby.ie, Gilroy Pens Three-Year Ulster Deal, 21 November 2012, "Irish Rugby : Provincial Rugby : News : Gilroy Pens Three-Year Ulster Deal". Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  11. ^ "Pro12: Ulster 43–3 Treviso". BBC Sport. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  12. ^ "GUINNESS PRO12 Dream Team of the 2014/15 Season". pro12rugby. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Connacht dominate PRO12 awards". Planet Rugby. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Best, Gilroy And Cave Among The Ulster Award Winners", Irish Rugby, 1 May 2015
  15. ^ Whooley, Declan (11 February 2017). "Nine-try Ireland demolish feeble Italy in Rome". RTÉ. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  16. ^ "200 Club | Craig Gilroy", Ulster Rugby, 30 December 2021
  17. ^ "Craig Gilroy keen to move abroad after confirming Ulster exit". the42. Retrieved 18 April 2023.