Willie Faloon

Willie Faloon (born 30 September 1986) is a rugby union player from Northern Ireland. His main position is at flanker and he primarily plays at openside. Faloon currently plays for Irish provincial side Ulster in the Pro14.

Willie Faloon

Birth name	William Faloon
Date of birth	30 September 1986
Place of birth	Armagh, Northern Ireland
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 ^1⁄2 in)
Weight	97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
School	Royal School Armagh
University	University of Ulster
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker Current team Ulster Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Ballynahinch () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2008–2012 2012–2015 2015– Ulster Connacht Ulster 63 39 0 (15) (30) (0) Correct as of 10 February 2015 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2011 Ireland Wolfhounds 2 (5) Correct as of 10 February 2015

Career

Ulster

Faloon's professional team was his native province of Ulster, signing a contract with the side in December 2008. He had previously played for amateur side Ballynahinch in the All-Ireland League and was part of the province's academy system. Faloon played his first game for Ulster on 24 January 2009, in a 2008–09 Heineken Cup game with Stade Francais.[1] He made his league debut for the team in the final game of the 2008–09 Celtic League, against Scarlets.[2]

In his second season with the side, Faloon appeared more often. He played in 13 games in the 2009–10 Celtic League, starting 12 of them, and scored his first try for the team against Scarlets on 2 October 2009.[3] In European competition Faloon played in 4 games, starting 3 of them and scoring a try against Bath.[1]

In the 2010–11 Celtic League, Faloon played in 17 games for Ulster as they climbed from their 8th-place finish the previous season to finish sixth and qualify for the play-offs.[3] In that season's Heineken Cup Faloon played in six of the team's seven games, including coming on as a replacement in Ulster's quarter-final against Northampton Saints in Stadium mk.[1]

In his final season with Ulster, Faloon played in 16 of their games in the league, which had been renamed as the Pro 12, as Ulster finished sixth.[3] In the 2011–12 Heineken Cup, Faloon played five, with four of these appearances coming as a replacement. He came on from the bench against Leinster in the final.[1]

In the summer of 2012, Faloon joined rival Irish province and Pro 12 team Connacht on a 2-year deal. It had been announced in March that year that Faloon would be leaving Ulster.[4]

Connacht

Faloon joined Connacht ahead of the 2012–13 season. He played in 14 games for Connacht in the 2012–13 Pro 12 and scored three tries.[5] Faloon made his European debut for Connacht against Zebre in the 2012–13 Heineken Cup, and played 3 times for the team in the competition, starting in each game.[1] In his first season with his new side, Faloon made an outstanding impression and was awarded Connacht Rugby Player of the Month for February 2013. At the end of his first year with the side, the Connacht Clan, the team's supporters club, voted him as their player of the season.[6]

Ulster

On 10 February 2015 it was announced that Faloon would be returning to Ulster on a one-year deal.[7]

References

1. "Player Archive: Willie Faloon". ERC. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
2. "Scarlets 43 - 17 Ulster Rugby". RaboDirectPRO12. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
3. "Ulster Squad Index: Willie Faloon". RaboDirectPRO12. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
4. "Ulster's Faloon to leave team". UTV Sport. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
5. "Connacht Squad Index: Willie Faloon". RaboDirectPRO12. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
6. "Player of the Year 2013 - Willie Faloon". Connacht Clan. 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
7. "Connacht Flanker Willie Faloon to make Ulster return". BBC. 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.