| Keynan Knox | |
| Birth Date: | 1999 4, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | South Africa |
| Weight: | 115kg (254lb) |
| Position: | Prop |
| Amatyears1: | 2018– |
| Amatteam1: | Young Munster |
| Years1: | 2019–2024 |
| Clubs1: | Munster |
| Apps1: | 32 |
| Points1: | 15 |
| Clubupdate: | 15 February 2024 |
| School: | Michaelhouse |
Keynan Knox (born 6 April 1999) is a South African rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Munster.
Born in South Africa, Knox attended Michaelhouse, a boarding school where Springboks such as Ruan Combrinck, Ross Cronjé, Patrick Lambie and Pat Cilliers, and South African-born Ireland international Robbie Diack and former Munster player Pat Howard also attended.[1]
Knox captained Michaelhouse's first XV rugby team during 2017, and featured for the Sharks provincial side during the under-18 Craven Week (also in 2017), where his set-piece and general play impressed.[1]
On the back of strong performances at school level, Knox caught the attention of then-Munster CEO Garrett Fitzgerald, and he moved to Ireland upon finishing school to join the provinces academy setup in December 2017.[1] [2] He featured in all five of Munster A's fixtures during the 2018–19 Celtic Cup,[3] and signed a three-year contract with the province in February 2019, which saw Knox complete year three of the academy before progressing to the senior squad.[3]
Because Knox joined Munster's academy before 31 December 2017, he qualified for Ireland based on residency in 2020, as this was before World Rugby changed the residency period a player must serve before qualifying for a country from three to five years.[4] He made his senior competitive debut for Munster on 28 September 2019, featuring as a replacement in the provinces opening 2019–20 Pro14 39–9 win against Welsh side Dragons in Thomond Park,[5] and he made his first start for the province in their 33–23 win against Cardiff Blues on 2 November 2019.[6]
Knox scored his first try for Munster in their 31–17 win against Italian side Benetton in round 16 of the 2020–21 Pro14 on 19 March 2021,[7] and made his Champions Cup debut for Munster in their 2021–22 pool B round 2 fixture at home to French club Castres on 18 December 2021, coming on as a replacement for John Ryan in the province's 19–13 win.[8] Knox signed a two-year contract extension in January 2022.[9] He featured off the bench in Munster's historic 28–14 win against a South Africa XV in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on 10 November 2022.[10]
On 14 February 2024, Munster Rugby announced that Knox had completed his contract and would be leaving with immediate effect. [11]