Keynan Knox

Keynan Knox (born 6 April 1999) is a South African rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Munster.

Keynan Knox
Date of birth (1999-04-06) 6 April 1999
Place of birthSouth Africa
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight115 kg (18.1 st; 254 lb)
SchoolMichaelhouse
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2018– Young Munster ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019– Munster 32 (15)
Correct as of 15 April 2023

Early life

Born in South Africa, Knox attended Michaelhouse, a boarding school where Springboks such as Ruan Combrinck, Ross Cronjé, Patrick Lambie and Pat Cilliers, and South African-born Ireland international Robbie Diack and former Munster player Pat Howard also attended.[1]

Youth rugby

Knox captained Michaelhouse's first XV rugby team during 2017, and featured for the Sharks provincial side during the under-18 Craven Week (also in 2017), where his set-piece and general play impressed.[1]

Munster

On the back of strong performances at school level, Knox caught the attention of then-Munster CEO Garrett Fitzgerald, and he moved to Ireland upon finishing school to join the provinces academy setup in December 2017.[1][2] He featured in all five of Munster A's fixtures during the 2018–19 Celtic Cup,[3] and signed a three-year contract with the province in February 2019, which saw Knox complete year three of the academy before progressing to the senior squad.[3]

Because Knox joined Munster's academy before 31 December 2017, he qualified for Ireland based on residency in 2020, as this was before World Rugby changed the residency period a player must serve before qualifying for a country from three to five years.[4] He made his senior competitive debut for Munster on 28 September 2019, featuring as a replacement in the provinces opening 2019–20 Pro14 39–9 win against Welsh side Dragons in Thomond Park,[5] and he made his first start for the province in their 33–23 win against Cardiff Blues on 2 November 2019.[6]

Knox scored his first try for Munster in their 31–17 win against Italian side Benetton in round 16 of the 2020–21 Pro14 on 19 March 2021,[7] and made his Champions Cup debut for Munster in their 2021–22 pool B round 2 fixture at home to French club Castres on 18 December 2021, coming on as a replacement for John Ryan in the province's 19–13 win.[8] Knox signed a two-year contract extension in January 2022.[9] He featured off the bench in Munster's historic 28–14 win against a South Africa XV in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on 10 November 2022.[10]

Honours

Munster

References
  1. "118kg South African teenage tighthead links with Munster's academy". The42. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  2. "Contract Signings". Munster Rugby. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  3. "Contract Update | Five Players Put Pen To Paper". Munster Rugby. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  4. "Munster's latest South African recruits are a rugby solution to a new rugby rule". SportsJoe. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  5. "Report | Bonus-Point Win Over Dragons At Thomond". Munster Rugby. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  6. "Report | Mathewson Brace Helps Munster To Bonus-Point Win". Munster Rugby. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  7. "Report | Munster Make It Six Wins In A Row". Munster Rugby. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  8. "Report | Munster Make It Back-To-Back Wins In Europe". Munster Rugby. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  9. "Further Boost For Munster Rugby On The Contract Front". Munster Rugby. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  10. "Report | Munster Secure Historic Victory Over SA Select XV". Munster Rugby. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
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