Seán Cronin (rugby union)

Seán Cronin
Birth name	Seán M. Cronin
Date of birth	6 May 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Limerick, Ireland
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	103 kg (16.2 st; 227 lb)
School	Ardscoil Rís
University	University of Limerick; Griffith College Dublin
Notable relative(s)	Neil Cronin (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Hooker
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
	Shannon
	St Mary's
Senior career
Years	Team
2005–2008	Munster
2008–2011	Connacht
2011–2022	Leinster
	Correct as of 21 May 2022
International career
Years	Team
2005–2006	Ireland U21
2007–2010	Ireland Wolfhounds
2009–2019	Ireland
	Correct as of 5 April 2020

Seán Cronin (born 6 May 1986) is a former Irish rugby union player who played as a hooker for Leinster in the United Rugby Championship. He also played for the Ireland national rugby union team.

Youth

Cronin was educated at Ardscoil Rís in Limerick. He previously played with Shannon and Munster Rugby, where he had progressed through their academy to a development contract. Cronin's rugby career began to take off while playing in the All-Ireland League for Shannon.

Before becoming a professional rugby player, Cronin played minor Gaelic football with Limerick in 2004. He also won a Limerick Senior Football Championship medal with Monaleen in 2005.

Professional

Outings for Ireland A and two Celtic League appearances for his home province of Munster saw Cronin attract the attention of Connacht who offered him a full contract in the summer of 2008. In January 2011 it was announced that Cronin would join Leinster on a 2-year contract for the 2011–12 season, after 3 seasons at Connacht.^[1] Cronin retired at the end of the 2021–22 season.^[2]

Ireland

Cronin represented Ireland in rugby at Ireland Schools, U19, U21, and A (Ireland Wolfhounds) levels.^{[citation needed]} Cronin earned his first cap against Fiji in November 2009. His second cap came as a replacement for Rory Best during the Ireland v Wales Six Nations game in March 2010. He won his first start against New Zealand in the 2010 summer tests and also started against Australia.^[3]

On 10 March 2018 Cronin scored a try in Ireland's 28–8 win over Scotland. The win clinched the 2018 Six Nations title for Ireland.^[4] While a mainstay of the Irish team for several years, Cronin started in only 10 of his 72 tests for Ireland. He made his first 6 Nations start in 2019 against Italy, his 32 previous 6 Nations appearances having come as a substitute.