Leinster and Ireland fullback Hugo Keenan signs central contract until 2026

Ireland and Leinster fullback Hugo Keenan has signed a new three-year contract that runs until the end of the 2025-2026 season. He is the first player to come through the Sevens programme and win a central contract at the 15-a-side game.

The 26-year-old has started 27 of Ireland’s last 29 games, scoring eight tries, his most recent last weekend in Ireland’s 32-19 victory over France at the Aviva Stadium. Keenan made his international debut against Italy in October 2020 in the Covid-postponed Six Nations Championship.

He won a Triple Crown with Ireland in 2022 tournament and played every minute of Ireland’s three Test Series against New Zealand last summer. Keenan started every game for Nigel Carolan’s Ireland Under-20 team in both the Six Nations and the World Rugby U20 Championship, when the team reached the final in Manchester.

A former Ireland Sevens international, he competed in the shorter format of the game from 2017 to 2019, including the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco in 2018. Keenan made his Leinster debut against Zebre in November 2016 and has since amassed 51 appearances for his province, scoring 13 tries and winning URC titles in 2020 and 2021.

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David Nucifora, IRFU Performance Director said: “His dedication to improvement and his drive have got him to this point of his career and after impressing in his first season at senior international level, he has kicked on again over the past 12 months.

“He is the type of player that drives standards around him and he will have a key role to play for both Ireland and Leinster over the next few seasons.”

[ Six Nations 2023: Five things we learned from Ireland’s win over France ]

Keenan admitted: “I am delighted to be part of two very competitive and ambitious environments with Ireland and Leinster. I am enjoying my rugby and looking to improve each week and there are so many opportunities to learn more about the game with the quality of coaches we have at provincial and national level.”

Meanwhile French tighthead prop Uini Atonio has been handed a three-match ban at a disciplinary tribunal heading, that will be reduced to two when he completes ‘tackle school.’

He was cited following a tackle on Rob Herring, for which the French player received a yellow card from match referee Wayne Barnes. The Ireland hooker left the pitch but failed his Head Injury Assessment (HIA) and did not return.

The independent Judicial Committee consisting of chair, Judge Mike Mika (New Zealand), Leon Lloyd (England) and Stefan Terblanche (South Africa) heard the case, considering all the available evidence and submissions from the player and his representatives.

The player admitted that he had committed an act of foul play worthy of a red card. Having reviewed all the evidence, the committee accepted the player’s admission that his shoulder contacted Ireland No. 2′s neck/face as described in the citing commissioner’s report and therefore reached the red card threshold.

A six-week suspension was halved because of Atonio’s admission of guilt, previous clean disciplinary record and genuine remorse. He will miss France’s Six Nations matches against Scotland, England and Wales. The player applied to take part in the coaching intervention programme to reduce the ban by one game which was granted by the committee.