Bob Agar
Full nameRobert Dunlop Agar
Date of birth29 March 1920
Place of birthFenagh, County Carlow, Ireland
Date of death23 April 1998
Place of deathBelfast, Northern Ireland
Occupation(s)Police officer
Rugby union career
Position(s) lock, number eight
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1939-1943 Civil Service ()
1943-1955 Malone ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1943-1950 Ulster ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1947-1950 Ireland 10 (0)

Robert Dunlop Agar (29 March 1920 - 23 April 1998) was an Irish international rugby union player who was part of the team that won Ireland's first Grand Slam in the 1948 Five Nations Championship.

Born in Fenagh, County Carlow, he played Gaelic Football for the Fighting Cocks in Rathtoe, and was introduced to rugby at Kilkenny College.[1] He moved to Mountjoy School in Dublin,[2] and represented Leinster at schoolboy level. In 1939 he moved to Belfast,[1] and joined Civil Service Rugby Club,[3] before moving to Malone RFC in 1943,[4] where he partnered Jimmy Nelson in the second row.[3]

He played for Ulster from 1943 to 1950, and captained the province.[1] In 1945 he was selected for an Irish services team which defeated the British Combined Services at Ravenhill.[2] His first full international for Ireland was against France at Lansdowne Road in 1947. He won ten caps for Ireland, five at number eight and five in the second row, playing in the 1948 team that won the Grand Slam, and the 1949 team that won the Triple Crown. He also represented the Barbarians. He played one game for County Carlow in 1948.[1] He retired from representative rugby in 1950, and from club rugby in 1945.[2]

Off the field, he was a police officer for the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and was awarded the MBE as a Chief Inspector in the 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours.[5] He retired in 1980 after 40 years' service.[6] In 1994 he was give the Hall of Fame award in the County Carlow Sports Star Awards.[2] He died in Belfast.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Death of a rugby star", The Nationalist, 1 May 1998
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Co. Carlow Sports Awards", The Nationalist, 27 January 1995
  3. 1 2 "Rugby: Death of Bob Agar", Belfast Telegraph, 24 April 1998
  4. ↑ "Ulster six learned rugby young", Irish Press, 21 January 1947
  5. ↑ United Kingdom: "No. 47234". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1977. pp. 7079–7118.
  6. ↑ Charlie Keegan, "Bob Agar - part of a golden rugby era", The Nationalist, 3 February 1995
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