Katie Fitzhenry (born 23 April 1989)[1] is a women's rugby union player from Coolcotts in Wexford, County Wexford, Republic of Ireland. She plays as a centre for Blackrock College RFC, Leinster Rugby, the Ireland women's national rugby union team and the Ireland women's national rugby sevens team.[1]

Career

Fitzhenry started playing rugby after experiencing tag rugby at Loreto Secondary School when she was 16. She had previously played camogie and Gaelic football for Wexford GAA.[2][3] After leaving school, she was one of the founding members of Wexford Wanderers RFC's women's team.[3] She made her provincial debut for Leinster against Ulster in 2010 following a successful trial.

She played for Wexford Wanderers from 2006 to 2011 and moved to Dublin club Blackrock College in 2011 to play at a higher level.[2][3]

Following this, she was signed by the Irish Rugby Football Union as a centrally contracted rugby sevens player and was one of the first players to sign up to the Irish Institute of Sport's career development course at Griffith College.[4] While balancing training for both the rugby union and rugby sevens teams, she worked part-time in a number of juice bars.[2] In 2015, she made her debut for the Ireland women's national rugby union team in the Women's Six Nations Championship against Italy. A week later she made her first start for Ireland, playing as a centre against France.[5]

In 2017, Fitzhenry was selected as part of Ireland's 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup squad. She played in the tournament and she scored a try in Ireland's seventh place playoff against Wales at Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[6]

Fitzhenry missed a lot of the 2018-2019 season due to a cruciate ligament knee injury. She returned to the Ireland women's national rugby sevens in October 2019.

In 2020 and 2021 she was selected on Ireland's Six Nations squads. She made 14 appearances for Ireland's XV and announced her retirement from international rugby in May 2021.[7]

Fitzhenry played camogie for Wexford underage and later played ladies gaelic football with Thomas Davis in Dublin, won an All-Ireland Junior Ladies Football title with Wexford in 2014.

She studied Sport and Recreation Management in Waterford IT (2008-2011) and now works for Irish Rugby in its anti-doping programme.

References

  1. 1 2 "Katie Fitzhenry". IRFU. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "'My life has changed completely' - Juggling work and training on the road to the Rio Olympics". The42.ie. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Katie chosen on Irish panel". Wexford People. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Katie Fitzhenry confident Ireland will progress from group stage". Irish Examiner. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Ireland call on Katie Fitzhenry for centre role against France". Irish Times. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "Wales put Ireland out of their World Cup misery". Irish Times. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  7. ↑ "Tyrrell And Fitzhenry Announce Retirement From International Rugby". Irish Rugby. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.


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