Simon Patrick Geoghegan (born 1 September 1968) is an Irish former rugby union player who played at wing in England for London Irish and Bath and in the Irish Inter-provincial Championships for Connacht Rugby and the Irish Exiles. He finished his rugby career at Bath Rugby where a debilitating toe injury limited his appearances and finally ended his playing career.
| Birth name | Simon Patrick Geoghegan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 1 September 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Knebworth, Hertfordshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 83 kg (13 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Solicitor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Club career
editA rugby union wing renowned for his speed, agility, and electrifying sidesteps,[1] and sometimes nicknamed the "blond bomber" due to his fair hair, Geoghegan was reportedly timed at around 10.5 seconds for the 100 metres.[2] He played as a forward initially before moving to the wing around the age of 18 years-old.[3]
He joined London Irish as a teenager in 1988 with the aim of playing for their under-21 side, but following a trial he went straight into the senior team, and scored a try on debut.[4]
He joined Bath Rugby from London Irish in 1994.[5] He had nine operations on his feet during his career, after being diagnosed with arthritis in his toes at the age of 25. He was forced to retire from rugby before his thirtieth birthday.[3][6]
International career
editHe played for Ireland at under-21 and 'B' level.[3] He made his senior Ireland debut in the Five Nations' Championship in 1991 again France and went on to score tries against Wales, England and Scotland in the Championship, and later won the Rugby Writers of Ireland player of the year award. However, he played in an era of struggle for Irish Rugby and was left stranded on the wing during the 1992 Championship, hardly receiving a meaningful pass. His critical comments after a match in 1993 led to a temporary suspension from the Irish team.[4][7]
He is perhaps best known for his try in the 1994 Five Nations match against England at Twickenham, that was instrumental in a famous 13–12 win.[8] Another key contribution during the match was a kick, chase and tackle[9] on England fly-half Rob Andrew which led to a crucial kickable penalty to Ireland. An adept side stepper, he was once described by the commentator Bill McLaren as being like “a mad octopus” and “as quick as a trout up a burn”.[10] He represented Ireland at the 1991 and 1995 Rugby Union World Cup.[11]
Geoghegan was controversially left out of the 1993 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand when England's Ian Hunter and Tony Underwood were taken ahead of him. Former New Zealand hooker and Geoghegan's then London Irish coach Hika Reid was quoted at the time as being surprised as he felt the conditions would have suited him. In 1997 the Lions management apparently held a place open for him until the last possible minute,[1] even though he had played little rugby that year due to the toe problems that cut short his career.[11]
Personal life
editBorn in England, he was educated at St Edmund's College, Hertfordshire. He has twin older sisters, one a civil engineer, the other a town planner.[4] Geoghegan qualified to play for Ireland through his Galway-born father Patrick, from Killimor, who worked as a property developer. He was quoted as saying that "I have a great affinity with Ireland, I've spent a lot of time there. I've never thought of playing for anyone else." [11][4] His grandfather played in the 1929 All-Ireland Hurling Final.[3]
As an amateur player, Geoghegan had a career outside rugby as a solicitor.[11] He studied for his law degree at London University.[4] As of 2011, he was working in London at Rosling King LLP having joined the company as a paralegal in 1990 and became a partner in 2000. He married Reema and they have three daughters: Isobel, Gabrielle, and Phoebe.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Simon Geoghegan: Best Rugby Player". Rugby22.com. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Ireland V England Flashback: Geoghegan's Gold At Twickenham (1994)". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Struthers, Greg (20 March 2011). "Best and Worst: Simon Geoghegan". The Times. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Glover, Tim (16 January 1993). "Rugby Union / Five Nations' Focus: Geoghegan back to speed: Tim Glover talks to Ireland's flying machine who hopes to put a troubled year behind him and stake a claim for a share of the Lions' tour". The Independent. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Van Esbeck, Edmund (4 April 1997). "Geoghegan may be forced to retire". Irish Times. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Neville, Conor (25 February 2016). "'He's Not The Blonde Athlete We Once Knew' - Mick Galwey On Geoghegan And '94". Balls.ie. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Hogan, Vincent (1 May 2020). "Moments in Time: Free spirit who shone like a beacon in the darkest days of Irish rugby". Independent.ie. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Simon Geoghegan". Scrum.com. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ "Simon Geoghegan tackles Rob Andrew". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
- ^ Kitson, Robert (6 March 2024). "Beautiful days: six famous Ireland wins against England at Twickenham". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d "SIMON GEOGHEGAN". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 21 April 2025.