Rob Herring (rugby union)

Robert Patrick William Herring (born 27 April 1990) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a hooker for United Rugby Championship club Ulster. Born in South Africa, he represents Ireland at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.

Rob Herring
Herring representing Ulster during the United Rugby Championship
Full nameRobert Patrick William Herring
Date of birth (1990-04-27) 27 April 1990
Place of birthCape Town, South Africa
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight103 kg (227 lb; 16 st 3 lb)
SchoolSouth African College Schools
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Current team Ulster
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2009–2011 London Irish 5 (0)
2009–2010 → Blackheath (loan) 8 (0)
2011 → London Welsh (loan) 4 (5)
2012 Western Province 2 (0)
2012– Ulster 229 (180)
Correct as of 6 May 2023
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013 Emerging Ireland 3 (0)
2014–2015 Ireland Wolfhounds 2 (0)
2014– Ireland 39 (30)
Correct as of 16 September 2023

Club career

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Herring hails from one of South Africa's oldest and well known schools, South African College Schools (SACS). He joined London Irish academy in 2009, and made his senior debut for the team in 2010,[1] but was not offered a senior contract, and returned to South Africa to continue his studies. He played for Western Province's under-21 team, and appeared in the Varsity Cup for Stellenbosch University.[2] On the basis of these performances, both Ulster and Connacht showed interest,[3] aware he qualified to play for Ireland through his Irish grandparents.[4] Both teams offered him a two-year development contract, but Herring asked for a six-month trial so he could continue his studies if it didn't work out, and Ulster agreed.[5] He signed for Ulster ahead of the 2012–13 season.[1]

Initially used as a backup to team captain Rory Best, he got first-team opportunities when Best was on Ireland duty.[4] He was named captain in Best's absence during the 2015 Rugby World Cup,[6] and shared the captaincy with Andrew Trimble during the 2016–17 season after Best stepped down from the role.[7] He made his 100th appearance for the province in September 2016.[8] Since Best's retirement in 2019, Herring has been Ulster's first choice hooker.[2] He made his 200th appearance for Ulster in October 2021.[3] He equalled the Ulster appearance record at 229, alongside Andrew Trimble and Darren Cave, at the end of the 2022–23 season.[9]

International career

In January 2014, Herring was included in the provisional 44 man Ireland squad for the 2014 Six Nations Championship.[10] He made his debut for Ireland in June 2014 coming off the bench in a tour match against Argentina. On 16 October 2019, Herring was called into the Ireland squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup to replace the injured Seán Cronin.[11] He started all five of Ireland's matches in the 2020 Six Nations Championship.[2] He scored a try in the third test against the All Blacks in July 2022, helping Ireland secure a historic series win in New Zealand.[12] He was named in Ireland's 2023 Six Nations Championship squad and went on to score a try in the final match vs. England, as Ireland won the Grand Slam and Triple crown.[13]

Honours
Ireland

References
  1. "Ulster sign Niall O'Connor and Rob Herring for 2012-13 season", BBC Sport, 18 June 2012
  2. Sarah Mockford, "Ireland hooker Rob Herring on his rugby journey", Rugby World, 18 November 2020
  3. Jonathan Bradley, "Rob Herring opens up on ‘difficult’ days as Rory Best’s back-up but says 200th Ulster cap is proof he made right choice", Belfast Telegraph, 12 October 2021
  4. "Rob Herring can keep Ulster Rugby on the charge". Irish Independent. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  5. "Ulster Rugby Lad meets… Rob Herring", Ulster Rugby Lad, undated
  6. "Rob Herring named as Ulster Captain during World Cup", Ulster Rugby, 1 September 2015
  7. "Rob Herring and Andrew Trimble to share Ulster captaincy", BBC Sport, 17 August 2016
  8. "Charles Piutau returns for Ulster as co-captain Rob Herring set for 100th cap", OTB Sports, 15 September 2016
  9. Paul McIntyre, "Stockdale and Herring hit milestones as Ulster eye URC semi-final spot", The Irish News, 5 May 2023
  10. "Joe Schmidt names seven uncapped players in his extended 44-man Six Nations squad". Irish Independent. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  11. "Herring set to join Ireland's World Cup squad as Cronin suffers injury". The 42. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  12. "New Zealand 22-32 Ireland - Visitors claim historic series win". BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  13. "Ireland clinch Grand Slam in style after win over England". RTE. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  14. "Ireland beat 14-man England in finale to win Six Nations Grand Slam". ESPN. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
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