John Cooney

Education

University College Dublin.

Career

He primarily plays as a scrum-half. Cooney currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro12 having joined the side from Leinster in 2015. Leinster

Cooney made his senior debut for Leinster on 2 September 2011, when he started against Ospreys in Swansea during the opening game of the 2011-2012 Pro12.

Cooney continued to make appearances for Leinster in the league, playing four more times, though each of these appearances came from the bench.

In the following season, Cooney continued to feature for Leinster in the league making a total of 13 appearances in the 2012-2013 Pro12, scoring try against Scarlets on 23 February 2013. Nine of these appearances came as a replacement.

He did, however, come on as a replacement in three of the team"s games in the 2012-2013 European Challenge Cup, including the final against Stade Français, earning himself another European medal in the process. Cooney did not feature as regularly for Leinster in the 2013-2014 season as he had the year before.

He made his first appearance in the 2013-2014 Pro12 against Cardiff Blues as a replacement, and went on to make a further four appearances in the league, all of these coming as starts.

He scored a try against Zebre on 9 February 2014. In the 2013-2014 Heineken Cup, Cooney made one appearance for the side, being used as a replacement against Northampton Saints in the pool stages. = Loan to Connacht lieutenant was announced in June 2014 that Cooney would be spending the 2014-2015 season on loan at another Irish province, with both him and Leinster teammate Quinn Roux joining Connacht on loan.

While Roux would return to Leinster in January 2015, Cooney agreed a deal to play with Connacht until the end of the season.

International

Cooney has represented Ireland four times at U-18"s level and has also played for eleven times for the Irish U-20"s squad. Cooney also represented Emerging Ireland in the 2013 Tbilisi Cup.

Achievements

• Most of Cooney"s appearances came while Leinster"s front-line players were away at the 2011 World Cup, though he also scored his first try for the team later in the season in a win over Benetton Treviso. Cooney made his European debut for the side in the final of the 2011-2012 Heineken Cup, coming on as a replacement scrum-half in Leinster"s 42–14 win over Irish rivals Ulster and winning a medal in the process. In Europe, Cooney did not feature in the 2012-2013 Heineken Cup as Leinster were knocked out in the pool stages. He came on as a replacement for Michael Heaney in the opening game, a win over Georgia, and started the two remaining games, a defeat to South Africa President"s XV and a victory over Uruguay.