Gordon D'Arcy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gordon D'Arcy

Date of birth	(1980-02-10) 10 February 1980 (age 45)
Place of birth	Ferns, County Wexford, Ireland
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	14 st 4 lb (91 kg)
School	Clongowes Wood College
University	University College Dublin
Rugby union career
Position(s) Inside Centre Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) – Wexford Wanderers () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1998–2015 Leinster 257 (334) Correct as of 15 August 2015 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1997 Ireland Schools 3 () 1998 Ireland U-19s 1 () 1999–2000 Ireland U-21s 7 () 1999–2015 Ireland Wolfhounds 11 (10) 1999–2015 Ireland 82 (35) 2005, 2009 British & Irish Lions (0) Correct as of 15 August 2015

Gordon D'Arcy (born 10 February 1980) is a famous retired Irish rugby player. He mostly played as an inside centre. Gordon spent his whole professional career with the Leinster team. He played 257 games for Leinster, which is the second-highest number of appearances for the club. He also scored 60 tries, making him third on Leinster's all-time try list.

D'Arcy stopped playing rugby in 2015. During his amazing career, he won many big titles. With Leinster, he won three Heineken Cups, a Challenge Cup, and four league titles. For Ireland, he won two Six Nations titles, including a special Grand Slam in 2009. He also joined the British & Irish Lions on two tours.

Gordon D'Arcy's Early Life and Education

Gordon D'Arcy finished school at Clongowes Wood College in 1998. He later studied at University College Dublin.

Gordon D'Arcy's Rugby Career Highlights

Gordon D'Arcy was a very promising player in school. He played as a fullback for his school team, Clongowes Wood. He was even asked to join the Irish squad for a tour in South Africa, but he chose to focus on his school exams instead.

After school, he joined the Lansdowne Football Club. He made his first appearance for Ireland on 15 October 1999. This was during the 1999 Rugby Union World Cup against Romania.

Returning to International Rugby

After a break from the international team, Gordon D'Arcy returned on 17 November 2002. He played as a substitute in Ireland's big win against Fiji. In 2003, he played three more times as a substitute. He wasn't chosen for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. However, he played very well for Leinster when many of their players were away at the World Cup. He showed great skill playing at fullback and wing.

After the World Cup, his Leinster teammate Brian O'Driscoll got injured. This led to D'Arcy moving to outside centre, where he played incredibly well.

Becoming a Star Player

Because Brian O'Driscoll was still out, D'Arcy played at number 13 for Ireland in the Six Nations Championship against France. He was in such great form that when O'Driscoll returned, D'Arcy kept his spot. This allowed the coaches to try O'Driscoll at inside centre.

In 2004, D'Arcy was voted the best player of the Six Nations tournament. He helped Ireland win the Triple Crown for the first time since 1985. Fans loved how he could trick defenders and create space on the field. His performance against England at Twickenham was especially impressive. He and O'Driscoll formed a new, exciting centre partnership. They were also very strong in defence, which often led to successful counter-attacks. Gordon D'Arcy was even nominated for the IRB Player of the Year award in 2004.

British & Irish Lions Tours

Even though he had some injuries in the 2004–05 season, D'Arcy was chosen for the British & Irish Lions squad. This was for their 2005 tour to New Zealand. He later returned to top form for Leinster and Ireland in the 2005/06 season.

D'Arcy played in all of Ireland's 2006 Six Nations matches. He was nominated for the RBS Six Nations Player of the Tournament in 2007. After breaking his arm in the 2008 Six Nations, he missed the rest of that season. He returned to play for Leinster in December 2008. He was a key part of the Ireland team that won the 2009 Six Nations Championship and the Grand Slam.

D'Arcy and Shane Horgan celebrate their 2009 Heineken Cup Final win.

In May 2009, D'Arcy was picked for the Barbarians team. He scored a try when the Barbarians beat England. On 3 June 2009, he was called up again for the British & Irish Lions squad due to injuries. He played for Ireland against Fiji and South Africa in 2009. He also started every game in the 2010 Six Nations. He earned his 50th cap (game) for Ireland on 6 November 2010 against South Africa.

D'Arcy was part of the Ireland squad for the Rugby World Cup 2011. In a match against Australia, D'Arcy and O'Driscoll set a world record. They became the centre partnership with the most appearances together in international rugby, playing 45 games side-by-side. This broke the old record held by Will Carling and Jeremy Guscott.

Life After Rugby

After retiring from rugby, Gordon D'Arcy started writing. He wrote opinion pieces about rugby for the Irish Times newspaper.

Gordon D'Arcy's Personal Life

In July 2012, Gordon D'Arcy married model Aoife Cogan. They are also business partners in a pilates studio in Dublin called Form School. In May 2015, they welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Soleil.

Gordon D'Arcy once grew a beard that got a lot of attention! His teammate Jonathan Sexton shaved it off after Ireland won the 2014 Six Nations Championship. Gordon D'Arcy also supports the Barretstown charity.

Gordon D'Arcy's Achievements and Awards

Individual Awards

• Six Nations Player of the Tournament: 2004

Team Honours with Leinster

• Celtic League: 2001–2002, 2007–2008, 2012–2013, 2013–2014
• Heineken European Cup: 2008–2009, 2010–2011, 2011–2012
• Amlin European Challenge Cup: 2012–2013

Team Honours with Ireland

• Six Nations Championship: 2009, 2014
• Grand Slam: 2009
• Triple Crown: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009