RonanKelleher

Ronan Kelleher has been selected for his second British & Irish Lions Tour by Andy Farrell, after joining the squad late in 2021.

The Ireland hooker was not initially selected for the Tour to South Africa but joined up with the squad while Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie were unavailable due to club commitments. 

Midway through the Tour, he was then officially called up with Warren Gatland, keen for greater cover at hooker ahead of the Test series although he did not end up featuring in a match.

Reflecting on his experience in South Africa, Kelleher said: "It was a great experience and great to get to know the lads and all the coaches,

"Also the lads are great and took a lot of learnings from it. But ultimately it also drove me that I'm not far off, I felt it was a pretty competitive bunch as well. That was one of the big takeaways from it. I felt confident out there."

Initially an outside back and then a back-rower as he came through the ranks, Kelleher then shifted to the front row, settling at hooker, where he was a standout performer for Ireland Under-20s. 

He made his debut for the senior side in February 2020, scoring his first Test try in the 2021 Six Nations. 

Kelleher equalled the record for most tries in a match by an Ireland player with four in a win over the USA in July 2021. 

Since the 2021 Tour, Kelleher has been a regular in the Irish matchday 23, often coming off the bench to form the second half of a brutal 1-2 punch with fellow hooker Dan Sheehan.