Damien Varley facts for kids
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Varley at his old school, St Munchin's College
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| Date of birth | 29 October 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Limerick, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 110 kg (17 st; 240 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St Munchin's College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Limerick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Damien Varley (born 29 October 1983) is a former Irish rugby union player. He was known for playing as a hooker, which is a key position in the front row of a rugby team. Varley played for Munster, a famous Irish team, and also represented his country, Ireland. Sadly, he had to stop playing rugby in February 2015 because of a foot injury.
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Early Life and School Days
Damien Varley grew up in Limerick, Ireland. He went to a boarding school called St. Munchin's College in Limerick. This school is well-known for its strong rugby teams.
In 2002, when he was still at school, Damien showed his talent. He scored two tries in the Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup final. His team, St. Munchin's, won this important school competition. After school, he continued his studies at the University of Limerick.
Playing for Munster
Damien Varley started his senior rugby career with Munster. This is one of Ireland's top professional rugby teams. He made his first appearance for Munster on 5 May 2006. This was in a Celtic League game against Ospreys. He came on as a replacement player during that match.
Time with London Wasps
In September 2008, Damien decided to try playing rugby in England. He joined an English club called London Wasps. He signed a contract to play for them for one year. He quickly made an impact, scoring a try for his new team in his very first game. This was less than a day after joining the club, in a close win against Leicester Tigers.
Return to Munster
After his year in England, Damien Varley returned to his home team, Munster. This was for the start of the 2009–10 rugby season. He played many games for Munster that season, showing how important he was to the team.
He made his debut in the Heineken Cup, which is a big European club competition. This happened on 17 October 2009, when he came on as a replacement against Benetton Treviso.
Damien was part of some memorable wins for Munster. He started in a historic 15–6 victory against the Australian national team. This exciting match took place at Thomond Park on 16 November 2010.
He also started for Munster when they beat their rivals, Leinster, in the 2011 Magners League Grand Final. Leinster had just won the Heineken Cup, making Munster's 19–9 victory even more special. In February 2013, Damien signed a new two-year contract to stay with Munster. He even had the honour of captaining Munster in a 2013–14 Heineken Cup semi-final match. This was against Toulon on 27 April 2014, which Munster unfortunately lost 24-16.
Representing Ireland
Damien Varley also had the chance to play for his country, Ireland. He joined the Ireland squad for the 2010 Summer Tour. During this tour, he was even selected to play for the New Zealand Barbarians against the New Zealand Maori team. However, he had to pull out due to a back injury.
A week later, he came on as a substitute for Ireland against the Maori team. He then earned his first official cap (meaning his first game) for Ireland against Australia. This happened when he came on in the final minutes of the game. He also played against Argentina in the 2010 Autumn Tests.
In 2011, Damien was part of Ireland's training squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Although he wasn't in the final squad at first, he was called up during the tournament. This happened when another player, Jerry Flannery, got injured. Damien also played for the Ireland Wolfhounds, which is a team for players who are close to playing for the main Ireland team. He played against England Saxons in January 2012 and again in January 2013.
In May 2014, Damien was named in the Ireland squad for their tour to Argentina. He came off the bench in the first match against Argentina on 7 June 2014.
