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Greg O'Shea (rugby union)

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Greg O'Shea
Birth nameGregory O'Shea
Date of birth (1995-03-23) 23 March 1995 (age 29)
Place of birthLimerick, Ireland
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg)
SchoolCrescent College
UniversityUniversity of Limerick
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing (15s), Fly-half (7s)
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Shannon ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Munster ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015 Ireland U20 1 (5)
Correct as of 11 July 2019
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2017– Ireland 7s

Gregory O'Shea (born 23 March 1995) is an Irish rugby union player. He played for the Ireland national rugby sevens team, usually as a fly-half.[1] In July 2019, O'Shea partnered with Amber Gill won the fifth series of Love Island.[2]

Early life and education

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O'Shea is from Limerick, Ireland.[3] His father Niall O'Shea and mother Carol O'Shea (née Ho)[4] were both sprinters for Ireland.[5] O'Shea's family is from Limerick, except his maternal grandfather who is from Hong Kong.[6] O'Shea's maternal grandfather, Peter Ho, emigrated to Limerick from Hong Kong after World War II, opening up Limerick's first Chinese restaurant.[1]

O'Shea started playing rugby with local club Shannon when he was seven years old. O'Shea went to Scoil Íde in Corbally.[3] He then attended Crescent College Comprehensive.[3]

In 2017, O'Shea graduated from the University of Limerick School of Law with a law degree.[6]

Sports career

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At Crescent College, O'Shea won a Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup with the school in 2013 when they defeated Rockwell College in the final, having also won Junior Cups in 2010 and 2011.[7] In addition to playing rugby, he was also a sprinter; when he was 16 he competed for Ireland at the 2011 European Youth Olympics 100m where he finished sixth.[5] It was O'Shea's last competitive race, as he decided to leave athletics behind and focus on rugby.[8]

O'Shea joined the Munster academy in 2013, playing mostly wing and fullback. O'Shea encountered a setback in 2015 when he fell off a bicycle and lacerated his achilles tendon, which took him a year until returning to full health.[9] Despite the injury, Munster extended his academy place for an additional year. O'Shea was unable to earn a place on the Munster senior team, and he left the province.

O'Shea then began playing with the Ireland national sevens team.[10] He played for Ireland at the 2017 Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series,[11] where Ireland finished in second behind Russia.[12][13] O'Shea struggled with injuries and missed the 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifying tournament,[9] although he did make the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens squad.

O'Shea made the Ireland squad for the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier, helping the team win the tournament and qualify for the World Rugby Sevens Series.[8][14] In June 2019, O'Shea played on the Paris 7s team.[15] He was part of Ireland's Rugby Sevens squad which began training in August 2019 for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[1]

In November 2019 he was named in Ireland's squad for the World Sevens.[16]

Television

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In 2019, O'Shea won the fifth series of Love Island alongside Amber Gill,[2] with 49% of the final public vote.[17]

O'Shea joined Virgin Media Television in November 2022 as a presenter on The 6 O'Clock Show.[18]

Leadership

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  • 2019–present: Rugby Players Ireland, Executive Board Member[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c McBride, Caitlin (30 July 2019). "Anatomy of a Love Island winner: what secret ingredients propelled Greg O'Shea to victory?". Irish Independent.
  2. ^ a b "Love Island: Amber and Greg crowned 2019 winners in live final". BBC News. 29 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Laffan, Rebecca (16 July 2019). "Here's everything you need to know about Love Island's Greg O'Shea". Limerick Leader.
  4. ^ "Death Notice of Monica Ho (née Finlay)". RIP.ie. 23 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b "The future is bright Greg O'Shea (Third year academy)". Irish Independent. 4 September 2015.
  6. ^ a b Blennerhassett, Patrick (7 April 2019). "From Hong Kong to Limerick, the ties that bind for Irish sevens player". South China Morning Post.
  7. ^ "Player Biography: Greg O'Shea". Munster Rugby. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b Thornley, Gerry (26 April 2019). "Gerry Thornley: Greg O'Shea happy to be in Sevens heaven". The Irish Times.
  9. ^ a b Kinsella, Murray (26 April 2019). "'There was just blood everywhere... I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy'". The42.
  10. ^ Quaid, Cliona (17 July 2017). "Men Join Women Into Sevens World Cup". Munster Rugby.
  11. ^ Keogh, John (30 November 2017). "Shannon winger O'Shea to line out for Irish 7s in Dubai". Limerick Post.
  12. ^ Liddy, Luke (11 July 2017). "Listen: Greg O'Shea 'Hopefully we can finish it off as Champions of Europe'" (Includes audio interview). Sporting Limerick.
  13. ^ Neville, Jack (12 September 2018). "Shannon's Greg O'Shea part of victorious Grand Prix Series Irish 7s team". Limerick Post.
  14. ^ Cooney, Gavin (7 April 2019). "Ireland romp to final victory over hosts at Hong Kong Rugby 7s". The42.
  15. ^ "Ireland Men's And Women's Sevens Squads Confirmed For Paris". Irish Rugby. 29 May 2019.
  16. ^ "Love Island: Winner Greg O'Shea named in Ireland Sevens squad". BBC Sport. 3 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Ireland 7s star Greg O'Shea enters the Love Island villa". The42. 16 July 2019.
  18. ^ Lee, Maeve (4 November 2022). "'Dream come true': Greg O'Shea to take over from Martin King on the Six O'Clock Show". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Griffin, Galvin And O'Shea Appointed To Rugby Players Ireland Board". Irish Rugby. 24 April 2019.
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