With Leinster’s recent success in Europe, Eoin Reddan is one of a number of players to have three Heineken Cup medals. He is in the select band to do so with two different clubs.
By Declan Whooley
The Limerick-born scrum-half has earned his success after a number of years earlier in his career battling for a team place and once that was achieved, battling for international recognition while playing in England.
Reddan was quick to catch the eye in school, captaining Crescent College Comprehensive while earning underage Munster caps. Like others at the time, the scrum-half went to Connacht for two seasons under the tutelage of coach Michael Bradley.
He returned to his native Munster, but his two seasons were restricted by the presence of Peter Stringer in the number nine jersey. In the summer of 2005, Warren Gatland decided that Reddan would add real quality to their squad and brought him to Wasps, despite the presence of World Cup winner Matt Dawson.
Reddan has said since that his time in London saw him develop his game hugely, with the influence of Shaun Edwards a huge positive in his game management.
On his way to scoring one of two tries against Leinster in 2007 Heineken Cup quarter-final
He quickly made a name for himself and his three years at the club were a massive success, especially impressive when you consider the calibre of players in the squad at the time. He competed strongly with Dawson in his first season before he retired at the end of that season, won the Heineken Cup in his second season and captained the side in his third season in the absence of Lawrence Dallaglio. He also won the Guinness Premiership that year to add to his silverware.
That 2006/07 campaign was particularly sweet for Reddan. As well as scoring two tries against his future colleagues in the 35-13 quarter-final defeat of Leinster, he also got on the score sheet in the final when they overcame Leicester. Incidentally, he faced a fellow Irish man in the scrum-half battle in Twickenham, with Frank Murphy lining up for the Tigers.
After three years, he decided to move back to Ireland and joined Leinster just after their first Heineken Cup success in 2009. He added two more winners’ medals in 2010 and 2011 and has been battling with Isaac Boss for the number nine jersey, a battle that has paid rich dividends for Joe Schmidt’s side.
He remains one of the few Irish players to play Heineken Cup rugby for three different teams and can look back very fondly on his contribution to Europe’s premier competition.
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