Ken Kennedy (rugby union)

Last updated

Ken Kennedy
Date of birth10 May 1941
Place of birth Rochester, Kent, England
Date of death14 July 2022(2022-07-14) (aged 81)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1965–1975 Ireland 45 (0)
1966 British and Irish Lions 4 (3)

Kenneth William Kennedy (10 May 1941 [1] – 14 July 2022) [2] was an Irish rugby union player who played hooker for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.

He was born in Rochester, Kent, England, the son of a Royal Navy doctor from Holywood, County Down. The family returned to Holywood, where he grew up. He attended Campbell College in Belfast, where he started playing rugby. He studied medicine at Queen's University Belfast, and played rugby for Queen's University RFC and Belfast club CIYMS. [3]

He won his first cap for Ireland in 1965, [3] and went on to win 45 caps over the next decade. He was selected for the 1966 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand, and won four test caps. [4] He undertook post-graduate study in geriatric medicine at Guy's Hospital, which led to him joining London Irish in 1968, where he played his club rugby until 1980, captaining the side from 1976 to 1979. [3] He was a squad player on the 1974 British Lions tour to South Africa, acting as the team's unofficial medical officer. [4]

Outside of rugby, he worked as an orthopaedic physician at St. Stephen's Hospital and St Mary Abbots Hospital, and was Medical Director of Rehabilitation at the Royal Star and Garter Hospital until 2003, after which he set up a sports injury clinic. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holywood, County Down</span> Human settlement in Northern Ireland

((short description|Town on outskirts of Belfast, Northern Ireland}}

Cameron Michael Henderson GibsonMBE is a former rugby union international player who represented Ireland and the British & Irish Lions.

Robin Henderson Thompson was a rugby union international for Ireland, a former British Lions captain and rugby league player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Kyle</span> Irish and Liobs rugby player (1926–2014)

John Wilson Kyle, most commonly known as Jack Kyle, was a rugby union player who represented Ireland, the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s. Kyle was a member of the Irish team that won the grand slam in the 1948 Five Nations Championship. In 1950, Kyle was declared one of the six players of the year by the New Zealand Rugby Almanac. Kyle is a member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame and was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame before the two halls merged to form the current World Rugby Hall of Fame. He was named the Greatest Ever Irish Rugby Player by the Irish Rugby Football Union in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rory Best</span> Ireland international rugby union player

Rory David Best is an Irish former rugby union player who was the captain of the Ireland national team from 2016 to 2019. He played hooker for Ulster and was registered for Banbridge RFC. Best earned 124 caps for Ireland, making his debut in 2005 and retiring at the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, his fourth World Cup. Best is one of the most capped rugby players of all time, as well as the most-capped forward to represent Ireland.

Robin Roe was an Irish clergyman known for his work as an army chaplain, and a rugby union player.


Newbridge RFC is a Welsh Rugby Union club based in Newbridge, Caerphilly in South Wales. Newbridge RFC was formed in 1888 and joined the WRU in 1911. They play in the WRU Welsh Championship East

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malone RFC</span> Irish rugby union club, based in Belfast

Malone RFC is a rugby union club based in Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It is currently in the Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. The club is affiliated with the Ulster Branch, itself part of the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is one of the last remaining Belfast rugby clubs not to have amalgamated and still plays at its original ground. As well as its successful Senior teams, it has a thriving Youth and Mini structure, and was the first Mini rugby team from Ireland to play in the renowned Fundacion Cisneros International rugby tournament in Madrid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Hibbard</span> Wales international rugby union & league footballer

Richard Hibbard is a retired Wales international rugby union player who last played for the Dragons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Ford</span> British Lions & Scotland international rugby union player

Ross William Ford is a Strength and Conditioning coach for the Scottish Rugby Academy. He was previously a Scotland international rugby union player who played as a hooker. He made 110 test appearances for Scotland, making him their most-capped male player. He played in three World Cups and toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2009, making one appearance.

Stephen James Smith is a former Ireland international rugby union player. He played as a hooker.

Thomas Nicholas Youngs is a retired rugby union player who played as a hooker for Leicester Tigers and England. Between 2012–2015 he won 28 caps for England, including selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and was selected for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia where he played in all three test matches. He played 215 times for Leicester between 2006 and 2021, winning the Premiership Rugby title in 2013, the same season that he was named as the league's Player of the season. He also won the 2011-12 Anglo-Welsh Cup with Leicester. Between 2009 and 2011 Youngs played 55 matches for Nottingham where he converted from centre to hooker.

Roger Michael Young is a former Ireland and British Lions International rugby union player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Jones-Davies</span> British Lions & Wales international rugby union footballer

Thomas Ellis Jones-Davies was a Welsh physician and international rugby union centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Tyrrell (RAF officer)</span> Royal Air Force air marshal

Air Vice Marshal Sir William Tyrrell, was a rugby union international who played for Ireland and was part of the British & Irish Lions team that toured South Africa in 1910. He went on to have a successful career in the British Army and Royal Air Force and became the Honorary surgeon to the King in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barts and The London RFC</span> Rugby team

Barts and The London Rugby Football Club, also known as the Royal Hospitals Rugby Football Club, is the rugby club of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Purdon</span> Rugby player

Major-General William Brooke Purdon was an Irish soldier, physician and medical administrator. Towards the end of his life he was a representative of the Northern Ireland Government in London and for four years was an Honorary Surgeon to the King. In his youth Purdon was a rugby footballer of some note, representing several Irish clubs and was selected to play international rugby for Ireland on three occasions in 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill McKay (rugby union)</span> British Lions & Ireland international rugby union player

James William McKay was an Irish rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s.

George Vaughan Stephenson born in Dromore, County Down was an Irish rugby union player and doctor. Stephenson played club rugby for Queens University, North of Ireland, Middlesex, the London Hospital, Haileybury College, London Irish and Barbarians and international rugby for Ireland, winning forty two caps and holding multiple rugby records

Henry Roger McKibbin CBE was an Ireland rugby union international from Northern Ireland who became a prominent rugby administrator.

References

  1. Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. pp. 12:24. ISBN   0-460-07003-7.
  2. "Lions and Ireland hooker Ken Kennedy dies aged 81", Lions Rugby, 16 July 2022
  3. 1 2 3 "Dr. Ken Kennedy – Rest in Peace", London Irish Amateur RFC, 19 July 2022
  4. 1 2 3 Ruaidhri O'Connor, "Irish rugby legend Ken Kennedy dies, aged 81", Irish Independent, 16 July 2022