Keith Wood
|
|
Keith Wood (born 27 January 1972 in Limerick) is a former international rugby union footballer who played hooker for Ireland, Harlequins and Munster.
He started his career with Garryowen who he helped to All Ireland titles in 1992 and 1994 before moving to Harlequins. He played 58 times for Ireland and five times for the Lions.
He was nicknamed 'the flying potato' because of his bald head. He was also known as 'Uncle Fester' due to his resemblance to a character in the Adams family.
His father, Gordon Wood, played hooker 29 times for Ireland.
He played on the 1997 and 2001 Lions tours, and was the first winner of the IRB World Player of the Year award in 2001. He played a major part in the Lions' 2-1 series victory over the Springboks in 2001. Wood captained Ireland. He was followed as Ireland captain by Brian O'Driscoll. Wood retired from playing after the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
| Preceded by: Inaugural award | IRB Player of the Year 2001 | Succeeded by: Fabien Galthié External links
|