Francis Gerald Gilpin (born 20 October 1940) is an Irish former international rugby union player.
| Full name | Francis Gerald Gilpin | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 20 October 1940 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
| University | Queen's University Belfast | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Born in Belfast, Gilpin attended Royal Belfast Academical Institution and captained Ulster Schools, then studied economics at Queen's University Belfast, where he was a fly-half on the varsity side.[1]
Gilpin followed two cousins and three uncles in being capped for Ireland, with three appearances during the 1962 Five Nations. His debut, against England at Twickenham, was as a fly-half beside another new cap in 17-year old John Quirke, to form Ireland's youngest ever halfback combination at a combined age of 38. England had a convincing win and Gilpin was discarded from the team, only to be recalled when Tom Kiernan got injured, playing his next two matches at fullback.[2] He was an Ireland reserve the following year as a wing three-quarter.[3]
In 1965, Gilpin found employment in London and earned Middlesex representative honours playing for Harlequins.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "'An Ulsterman through and through': How Gerald Gilpin's historic Ireland debut paved way for Harlequins move". Belfast Telegraph. 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Irish pose a problem for 'axed' Gilpin". Daily Express. 23 February 1962.
- ^ "Gerry Gilpin for London". Belfast News-Letter. 24 August 1965.
- ^ "Ulster Rugby Star's Debut In London". Belfast News-Letter. 24 September 1965.
External links
edit- Gerry Gilpin at ESPNscrum