| Birth name | Thomas Joseph Kiernan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 7 January 1939 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cork, County Cork, Munster, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 3 February 2022 (aged 83) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Mike Kiernan (nephew) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Thomas Joseph Kiernan (7 January 1939 – 3 February 2022) was an Ireland international rugby union player.[1] He won 54 caps for Ireland as a full-back between 1960 and 1973 and captained his country 24 times. At the time of his retirement he was Ireland's most-capped player, most experienced captain, and record scorer in internationals with 158 points.[2] He captained the 1968 British Lions tour to South Africa, playing in all four internationals against South Africa. His nephew, Mike Kiernan, also played for Ireland and the Lions. Kiernan was also the Munster team coach for their famous victory over the All Blacks in 1978. He received the IRB Distinguished Service Award in 2001.[3] He died on 3 February 2022, at the age of 83.[4]