Evan O'Connell
| Born | 4 May 2004[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 109 kg (17.2 st; 240 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Castletroy College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative | Paul O'Connell (uncle) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Evan O'Connell (born 4 May 2004) is an Irish professional rugby union footballer who plays for Munster Rugby. His preferred position is lock.
Early life
[edit]From County Limerick, O'Connell attended Castletroy College and played for the Munster U-18 Schools team at the start of the 2021-22 season as well as captaining Castletroy in the Munster Schools Boys Senior Cup that year.[3]
Club career
[edit]O'Connell joined the Munster Rugby Academy ahead of the 2022-23 season and also played in the All-Ireland League for Young Munster having previously also played for UL Bohemians. [3]
In November 2024, O'Connell made his senior United Rugby Championship debut for Munster at home against Emirates Lions.[4] In December 2024, he made his debut for Munster in the European Rugby Champions Cup in the Pool 3 opening fixture against Stade Francais at Thomond Park.[5] In 2025, he signed a two-year contract with Munster and moved from the senior academy to the first team squad.[6]
International career
[edit]O'Connell played for Ireland U18 in the 2022 U18 Six Nations Festival.[3] He was captain of Ireland U19s for two matches against France U19 in April 2023 and played in the Ireland national under-20 rugby union team that won the grand slam at the 2023 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[7] The following year, he captained the team at the 2024 U20 Six Nations,[8][9] and the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa. He later travelled to South Africa in October 2024 with Emerging Ireland.[3]
In 2025, he was called-up to the Irish Wolfhounds squad for their match against Spain during the 2025 November internationals, and was subsequently named in the starting XV.[10][11]
Personal life
[edit]His father Justin played as a lock for UL Bohemians, where he later coached the under-20 side. He is the nephew of former Ireland rugby captain Paul O'Connell.[3][12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Evan O'Connell". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Evan O'Connell". All Rugby. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Kelly, David (21 January 2025). "Munster second-row Evan O'Connell follows in the footsteps of uncle Paul". Independent.ie. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Munster give debuts to Dian Bleuler and Evan O'Connell". BBC Sport. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Munster lock O'Connell to make Champions Cup debut". BBC Sport. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Martin, Dave. "Evan O'Connell To Move Up To Munster Senior Squad On Two-Year Deal". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "New Ireland U-20 Captain O'Connell Took A Lot From 'Playing Up An Age' Last Year". Irish Rugby. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Evan O'Connell to captain Ireland Under-20 squad laden with pedigree". Irish Times. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ O'Connor, Sean (17 January 2024). "Ireland U-20 skipper Evan O'Connell hailed as 'professional' and 'calm' ahead of Six Nations campaign". Independent.ie. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Ireland XV Squad Named Ahead Of Spain Trip". Irishrugby.ie. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "England international Dan Kelly moves closer to Ireland cap after selection for 'A' clash with Spain". Imdependent.ie. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Evan following in family footsteps as latest second-row to roll off the O'Connell production line". Irish Examiner. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2025.