Philip Andrew Orr (born 14 December 1950) is a former Irish international rugby union loosehead prop who played for the British Lions. Born in Dublin, Orr was educated at

The High School, Dublin The High School is a 12–18 Mixed-sex education, mixed, Church of Ireland, Independent school, independent secondary school in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland. It was established in 1870 at Harcourt Street before moving to Rathgar in 1971. It amal ...

, and

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

. He played for

Old Wesley Old Wesley Rugby Football Club was founded in 1891 from the past pupils of Wesley College, Dublin. It plays in Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. The club won the Leinster Senior Cup in 1909 and 1985 as well as winning the AIL Division 2 ...

for over 20 years and was captain of the team that lifted the Leinster Senior Cup in 1985, his club's first Leinster Senior Cup title in 76 years.'Philip Orr Elected President of the IRFU'
Old Wesley, 14 July 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2025 For many years he was his country's most-capped prop with a then-world record 58 appearances. Orr would have reached 50 consecutive caps were it not for being dropped during the 1986 Five Nations Championship, a decision that "defied belief". "One of the most durable forwards of his or any other generation" and a ball-carrying prop, he made his debut against France in 1976 and was part of the Irish teams that won a Triple Crown in 1982 and 1985. French tighthead prop, Jean-Pierre Garuet, called Orr his most difficult opponent, a "colossus ('colosse')" his predecessor Robert Paparemborde had warned him about. Orr toured with the Lions to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in 1977, winning one cap, and was a replacement during the tour of South Africa in 1980. However, he was not available for the 1983 tour to New Zealand due to business reasons. His last international appearance came on 7 June 1987, at the advanced age of 36 years and 162 days, in Ireland's quarter-final defeat to Australia during the inaugural Rugby World Cup.Ciaran Cronin, 'Caught in Time: Ireland’s first Rugby World Cup XV, 1987'. ''The Times'', 14 September 2003. Retrieved 20 March 2025 In 1991, Orr was president of

in its centenary year. In 2009, he was elected to the

Irish Rugby Football Union The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) () is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where a ...

Committee, and was the president of the organisation between 14 July 2017 and 13 July 2018. Orr played for the

Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

on six occasions and is one of its trustees.'Our Trustees'
Barbarian FC, undated. Retrieved 31 January 2025 He owned a clothing company in Dublin.

External links

Ireland's Rugby Greats: Phil Orr

References

1950 births Living people Irish rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland Old Wesley players Rugby union props People educated at The High School, Dublin 1987 Rugby World Cup players {{Ireland-rugbyunion-bio-stub

External links

See also

References