Andrew Warwick Explained

Andrew Warwick
Birth Name:Andrew Warwick
Birth Date:1991 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Weight:116kg (256lb)[1]
Ru Currentteam:Ulster
Ru Currentposition:Prop
Ru Position:Prop
Amatteam1:Ballymena
Years1:2013–
Clubs1:Ulster
Apps1:195
Points1:15
Ru Clubupdate:8 June 2024[2] [3]
Ru Nationalyears:2015
Ru Nationalteam:Emerging Ireland
Ru Nationalcaps:2
Ru Nationalpoints:(0)
Ru Ntupdate:10 January 2021
School:Ballymena Academy

Andrew Warwick is an Irish rugby union player who plays loosehead prop for Ulster Rugby.

He started out playing for Ballymena in the All-Ireland League, while working as a lorry driver for his father's engineering firm. He was involved with Ulster's sub-academy, representing the province at under-19 and under-20 level before being brought into the academy by elite performance director Allen Clarke.[4] He played for Ulster "A", and was named on the bench for the senior team during the 2012–13 season, before signing an academy contract.[5] He made his senior debut in February 2014 against the Cardiff Blues,[6] and was pressed into action at tighthead in place of the injured John Afoa, earning praise from coach Mark Anscombe for his doggedness.[7] He signed a 2-year developmental contract with Ulster in December 2014.[8] He made his 100th appearance for the province in a Pro14 match against Munster in 2018.[9]

In the summer of 2019 he developed a problem with his sciatic nerve, which eventually required surgery in August 2020.[10] On his return he was Ulster's fourth-choice loosehead prop, but after he came off the bench and stabilised Ulster's shaky scrum against Connacht in only his fourth game back, he underlined his importance to the team. In the 2021-22 season, he competes with Eric O'Sullivan to be Ulster's first choice loosehead prop, starting most of their Champions Cup matches.[11] He made his 150th appearance in a United Rugby Championship match against the Bulls in 2022.[12] He was nominated for Ulster's men's player of the year award.[13]

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland describes him as "a quality scrummager and hard worker in the loose", and notes his "experience and technical excellence".[14] He praises him for being "a really good scrummager, his mauling is excellent, his maul defence is excellent. He’s where he needs to be when he needs to be there ... The more experience that he’s got in terms of scrummaging at the Champions Cup level, he’s demonstrated that he’s well able for that ... he’s pushed himself where he maybe sat a little lower in the depth chart to one who is battling it out to be the first-choice loosehead in our club".

As of November 2021, he is also coaching the forwards at Ballymena rugby club.[15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://ulster.rugby/player/andrew-warwick Ulster Rugby player profile
  2. Web site: Andrew Warwick . Ulster Rugby . 7 April 2024.
  3. https://www.itsrugby.co.uk/players/andrew-warwick-31497.html Playing stats at ItsRugby.co.uk
  4. https://www.the42.ie/andrew-warwick-ballymena-ulster-1740500-Oct2014/ "Ballymena man Andrew Warwick making powerful impression at Ulster"
  5. Jonathan Bradley, "Andy Warwick set to earn 100th Ulster cap and he's done it the hard way", Belfast Telegraph, 26 September 2018
  6. Web site: "Andrew Warwick on his first appearance for Ulster", Ulster Rugby, 30 March 2014 . 2015-06-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150420132717/http://www.ulsterrugby.com/News/LatestNews/TabId/149/ArtMID/793/ArticleID/1364/Andrew-Warwick-on-his-first-appearance-for-Ulster-.aspx . 2015-04-20 .
  7. David Blair, "RaboDirect PRO12 Semi-finals: four key battles", The Rugby Blog, 16 May 2014
  8. News: Ulster Academy prop Andrew Warwick signs pro contract with province. BBC Sport . 17 December 2014. 9 November 2016.
  9. https://www.irishrugby.ie/2018/09/28/warwick-joins-ulsters-100-cap-club/ "Warwick Joins Ulster’s 100-Cap Club"
  10. Michael Sadlier, "Warwick delighted to overcome injury problems and start to show his true potential in Ulster jersey", Belfast Telegraph, 4 March 2021
  11. Jonathan Bradley, "How Ulster's Andrew Warwick has defied the odds throughout his career to become top of the props", Belfast Telegraph, 6 April 2022
  12. Adam McKendry, "Andrew Warwick to make milestone 150th appearance as Ulster make 10 changes for Bulls clash", Belfast Telegraph, 1 April 2022
  13. https://ulster.rugby/content/vote-for-your-player-of-the-year-in-the-2021-22-heineken-ulster-rugby-awards "Vote for your player of the year in the 2021/22 Heineken Ulster Rugby Awards"
  14. https://ulster.rugby/content/andrew-treadwell-warwick-and-doak-to-remain-at-ulster "Andrew, Treadwell, Warwick and Doak to remain at Ulster"
  15. Adam McKendry, "Ulster prop Andrew Warwick happy to give something back to hometown club Ballymena", Belfast Telegraph, 26 November 2021