Tommy Bowe facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Tommy Bowe

Bowe playing for Ospreys

Birth name

Thomas John Bowe

Date of birth

22 February 1984 (age 41)

Place of birth

Emyvale, County Monaghan, Ireland

Height

1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)

Weight

98 kg (15 st 6 lb; 216 lb)

School

Royal School, Armagh

University

University of Ulster
University of London

Notable relative(s)

Hannah Bowe (sister)

Rugby union career

Youth Career
Position(s)	Wing, Centre
Monaghan RFC
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
–	Belfast Harlequins		()
Senior career
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2003–2008	Ulster	91	(170)
2008–2012	Ospreys	77	(185)
2012–2018	Ulster	77	(140)
Correct as of 28 April 2018
National team(s)
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2004–2005	Ireland U21		()
2005–2008	Ireland A	4	(5)
2004–2017	Ireland	69	(150)
2009, 2013	British & Irish Lions	5	(0)
Correct as of 10 March 2017

Thomas John Bowe (born on February 22, 1984) is a well-known Irish television presenter and a former rugby union player. He comes from County Monaghan, Ireland. Tommy played as a wing for several top teams, including Ulster, Ospreys, the Irish national team, and the famous British & Irish Lions.

After he finished his rugby career, Tommy Bowe started working in television. He is now a host on the morning TV show Ireland AM.

Tommy Bowe's Rugby Journey
Tommy Bowe's International Tries
Awards and Achievements
- Individual Awards
- Team Honours
Life Outside Rugby
Family Life
See also

Tommy Bowe's Rugby Journey

Starting Out in Rugby

Tommy Bowe went to The Royal School, Armagh. He started playing rugby as a full-back in school. Later, he became a wing player for the Ireland Under-21 team. He also enjoyed running for the Glaslough Harriers club. Tommy even represented his local area, Donagh, in the All-Ireland Community Games.

Before rugby, Tommy played Gaelic football from a young age with his local club, Emyvale. He also played for Monaghan at younger levels. He played rugby for Monaghan RFC and his primary school team too.

Tommy studied at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. He played for the Queen's University Belfast rugby team. This led to him being chosen for the Ireland U20 Team. After that, he moved to Belfast Harlequins. He then played for the U21 team and was named the Irish Rugby Union Players Association (IRUPA) Young Player of the Year in 2003.

Playing for Clubs

James Hook, Gavin Henson and Tommy Bowe playing for Ospreys

Tommy joined the Ulster team at the end of the 2003–04 season. He scored a try in his very first game against Connacht. Soon, he became a regular player for Ulster. In May 2004, he was again named the IRUPA Young Player of the Year. He also won the Guinness Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year Award in May 2005. In 2006, Tommy helped Ulster win their first Celtic League title.

On January 25, 2008, Tommy announced he would leave Ulster. He joined the Ospreys in Wales on a two-year deal. In his first season with the Ospreys, he set a club record. He scored four tries in a European Cup match against Treviso. He also became the top try-scorer in the Magners League's history. In 2008, he won both the Ulster and Ireland Player of the Year awards. In December 2009, Tommy signed a three-year extension with the Ospreys.

He returned to Ulster at the start of the 2012–13 season. He signed a three-year deal. Tommy scored two tries in his first game back for Ulster against Cardiff Blues. He played a key role in Ulster's league season, helping them reach the Pro12 Final.

Playing for Ireland and the Lions

Tommy Bowe made his first senior international appearance for Ireland in 2004. This was against the USA during the Autumn Internationals. He was the first player from County Monaghan to play for Ireland since the 1920s. He scored a try in the second half of that game. Tommy played more games for Ireland during their tour to Japan and the Autumn Internationals in 2005.

With this experience and his strong performance for Ulster, he was chosen for Ireland's team for the 2006 Six Nations Championship opener against Italy. He scored a try in that game. After a difficult first half against France in the next match, Tommy was left out of the squad.

He had some injuries in late 2006, which affected his performance. However, he came back strong, scoring five tries in six matches. This earned him a spot in Ireland's 2007 Six Nations Championship squad. He did not make the Irish squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Tommy earned a place in Ireland's 2008 Six Nations Championship squad after a great season with Ulster.

He was not chosen for the first game against Italy. He was also left out when Ireland lost to France. However, on February 19, 2008, Tommy was named to start against Scotland at Croke Park. He scored two tries in that match. He then played in the games against Wales and England, which Ireland lost.

Tommy's good form with the Ospreys continued in 2008. He kept his right-wing position for Ireland during the Autumn Internationals. He scored Ireland's only try against Argentina. Tommy was then chosen for the wing in the 2009 Six Nations Championship opener against France in Dublin. He played very well as Ireland won 30–21, their first win over France in six years. Their next game was against Italy. Tommy scored a try as Ireland won 38–9.

After wins against England and Scotland, Ireland played Wales. A win would mean a Grand Slam. Tommy scored a try, and Ireland won their first Grand Slam in 61 years.

In February 2010, against England in the 2010 Six Nations Championship, he scored two tries. One of these was the winning try with five minutes left in a 20–16 victory at Twickenham. In March 2010, Tommy Bowe was voted the 2010 Six Nations Player of the Championship. He received over 50% of the votes.

Tommy continued to play for Ireland throughout 2010. He was chosen for Ireland's squad for the 2011 Six Nations Championship. He scored the first try in Ireland's big win over England on March 19. He went to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which was his first World Cup. He scored a try against the USA in Ireland's first game. He was selected for the 2012 Six Nations Championship squad. During this tournament, he scored five tries in Ireland's first three games, including two against Italy and two against France.

On February 4, 2017, Tommy came on as a substitute for Keith Earls in the 2017 Six Nations Championship game against Scotland.

British & Irish Lions Tours

On April 21, 2009, Tommy Bowe was chosen to be part of the British & Irish Lions team for their 2009 tour to South Africa. He started in the first match of the tour and was the first player to score a try on that tour. He then scored two tries against the Golden Lions. This helped him get selected for the main test matches.

His performance on the tour was excellent, earning him praise from sports reporters. On June 18, 2009, Ian McGeechan picked Tommy for the test match against South Africa in Durban. The Lions lost 26–21. Tommy was chosen again for the second test. The Lions lost 28–25 after a last-minute penalty. Due to injuries to other players, Tommy was chosen to play at outside centre for the third test. He finished third for the 'Player of the Series' award.

In April 2013, he was selected for the 2013 British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia. While playing against the Queensland Reds, Tommy broke a bone in his hand. This injury almost ended his tour. However, he recovered in time to play in the last two test matches against Australia.

Tommy Bowe's International Tries

Tommy Bowe's International Tries
Try	Opposing Team	City/Country	Venue	Competition	Year
[1]	United States	Dublin, Ireland	Lansdowne Road	Test Match	2004
[2]	Japan	Osaka, Japan	Nagai Stadium	Test Match	2005
[3]	Italy	Dublin, Ireland	Lansdowne Road	Six Nations	2006
[4–5]	Scotland	Dublin, Ireland	Croke Park	Six Nations	2008
[6–7]	Canada	Limerick, Ireland	Thomond Park	Test Match	2008
[8]	Argentina	Dublin, Ireland	Croke Park	Test Match	2008
[9]	Italy	Rome, Italy	Stadio Flaminio	Six Nations	2009
[10]	Wales	Cardiff, Wales	Millennium Stadium	Six Nations	2009
[11]	Australia	Dublin, Ireland	Croke Park	Test Match	2009
[12–13]	England	London, England	Twickenham	Six Nations	2010
[14]	Scotland	Dublin, Ireland	Croke Park	Six Nations	2010
[15]	New Zealand	New Plymouth, New Zealand	Yarrow Stadium	Test Match	2010
[16]	South Africa	Dublin, Ireland	Aviva Stadium	Test Match	2010
[17]	England	Dublin, Ireland	Aviva Stadium	Six Nations	2011
[18–19]	United States	New Plymouth, New Zealand	Yarrow Stadium	World Cup	2011
[20]	Wales	Dublin, Ireland	Aviva Stadium	Six Nations	2012
[21–22]	Italy	Dublin, Ireland	Aviva Stadium	Six Nations	2012
[23–24]	France	Saint Denis, France	Stade de France	Six Nations	2012
[25–26]	Argentina	Dublin, Ireland	Aviva Stadium	Test Match	2012
[27]	South Africa	Dublin, Ireland	Aviva Stadium	Test Match	2014
[28]	Australia	Dublin, Ireland	Aviva Stadium	Test Match	2014
[29–30]	Romania	London, England	Wembley Stadium	World Cup	2015

Awards and Achievements

Individual Awards

IRUPA Young Player of the Year: 2004
Guinness Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year Award: 2005
Celtic League Team of the Year: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10
IRUPA Players' Player of the Year: 2008, 2010
WRPA Players' Player of the Year Award: 2010
Celtic League Player of the Year: 2009–10
RBS Player of the Championship (Six Nations): 2010
Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year: 2010

Team Honours

With Ulster

Celtic League: 2005–06

With Ospreys

Celtic League: 2009–10, 2011–12

With Ireland

Six Nations: 2009, 2015
Grand Slam: 2009
Triple Crown: 2006, 2009
2005 Ireland rugby union tour of Japan Series win

With British & Irish Lions

Series winner: 2013 (against Australia)

Life Outside Rugby

Tommy Bowe has also explored other interests beyond rugby. In 2010, he was a guest chef on an episode of the TV show The Restaurant. He appeared on RTÉ's The Late Late Show on May 21, 2010. He talked about a song he sang during Ireland's Grand Slam celebrations. RTÉ also made a documentary called Tommy Bowe's Bodycheck, which looked at what it takes to be a top professional rugby player.

In 2014, Tommy launched a clothing line called XV Kings. This came after he had already started his footwear brand, Lloyd & Pryce. He also lent his name to the Tommy Bowe Challenge, which was a fundraising event for the Glaslough Harriers in 2011 and 2012.

In 2017, Tommy started presenting television shows. He became a co-presenter on the BBC and RTÉ holiday program, Getaways. Then, in 2018, Tommy was named the presenter for Eir Sport's coverage of the Pro14 rugby league.

Since August 2020, Tommy Bowe has been a host on Ireland AM. This is a popular morning television show on Virgin Media Television in Ireland.

Family Life

Tommy's father, Paul, won a rugby medal with Newbridge College in 1970. His mother, Ann, is a physiotherapist in County Monaghan. Tommy's sister, Hannah, plays international hockey for Ireland. His younger brother, David, also plays rugby. Tommy's grandfather received a special award for his service in the British Army during the D-Day landings in World War II.

Tommy Bowe married his fiancée, Lucy Whitehouse, who was a former Miss Wales, on June 14, 2015. They got married at the Corran Resort and Spa in Carmarthenshire, Wales. They have two children together.