Sibling rivalry has always had a prominent place at the dinner table, offering bragging rights to the victor and a father's disgust to the loser. Rugby has a long tradition with brothers representing the same team and in light of Dave Kearney's debut against Samoa on Saturday, we've taken a look at the history of Irish rugby brothers.
Richard, Paul and David Wallace
Richard
The eldest of the Wallace clan debuted for Ireland in 1991 off the back of impressive performances in the AIL for Garryowen. Unlike his heavier set brothers, he played on the wing and in 1993 was selected by Ian McGeechan to tour New Zealand with the Lions. In 1997, after the advent of professionalism, Richard followed his brother David to Saracens before retiring in 1999 having earned 29 Irish caps.
Paul
Best known for his key role in the Lions 1997 series win over South Africa, Paul debuted for Ireland at 1995 World Cup against Japan. His work rate and strength in the tight set him apart from his peers despite his relative small size. Interestingly, he was not included in the original 1997 Lions squad and was called up as a replacement to the injured Peter Clohessy before playing 80 minutes in all three tests. In 1996 he joined Saracens before moving back to Leinster in 2001 where an ankle injury forced him to retire in 2003.
David
The youngest Wallace made his first Irish appearance in 2000 after shining for Munster in that year's Heineken Cup campaign, scoring a try in the final v Northampton. His ball carrying ability saw him hailed as one of the top back rows in Europe, winning the Six Nations Grand Slam with Ireland in 2009 and earning three Lions caps that summer. He played his final Irish match in 2011 and was forced to retire in 2012 after suffering a knee injury.
Simon and Rory Best
Simon
After signing a professional contract with Ulster in 1999, moving through the ranks of the club to become captain in 2005/2006 when Ulster won the Magner's League. In 2003 he made his debut for Ireland and played in that year's World Cup. In 2007 the prop was forced to retire after the discovery of an irregular heart beat having earned 23 Irish caps.
Rory
Baby Best, who is four years younger than his brother, joined Ulster in 2004 and took over the captaincy of the club from Simon in 2007. He won his first Irish cap in 2005 and was a late call up for Warren Gatland's Lions in 2013. He has won 68 Irish caps to date.
Guy and Simon Easterby
Guy
Scrum half Guy scored two tries in his debut for Ireland in 2000 against the USA and enjoyed stints at Rotherham, London Scottish, Ebbw Vale, Llanelli and Leinster. Peter Stringer's dominance of the Irish scrum half jersey saw his senior caps largely limited to substitute appearances and in 2007 he retired as a player. More recently, Guy joined the Leinster coaching set up and in 2010 was appointed team manager.
Simon
The more accomplished of the Easterby brothers, Simon debuted in 2000 against Scotland he went on to earn 65 caps including a stint as captain in 2005. He featured in two Lions tests against New Zealand in 2005 and scored a try in the process. He became head coach of Llanelli Scarlets in 2012 having spent seven seasons with the club as a player.
Rob and David Kearney
Rob
The elder of the Kearney dynasty in Louth, Rob joined Leinster in 2005 and made his Irish debut a year later. His speed and skill set saw him selected to tour South Africa with the Lions in 2009, playing in all three tests while also scoring a try. In his hugely successful career he has won three Heineken Cups, a Six Nations Grand Slam and toured Australia with the Lions last summer.
Dave
Last Saturday, Dave made his Irish debut in a 40-9 win over Samoa. Having featured on the bench v Wales in 2012, Kearney was forced to wait almost two years before earning his first cap. A 61st minute substitute in the Aviva Stadium he was assisted for his first try by his older brother before adding a second at the end of the game.
Honourable Mention: David and Ian Humphreys
David
Having debuted for Ireland in 1996, David had a lengthy battle with Munster's Ronan O'Gara for the Irish number ten jersey during the later half of his career. He captained Ulster to Heineken Cup victory in 1999 and in 2005 was selected as Irish captain for the Autumn international against Romania. He retired in 2008 and gained a position in the Ulster coaching set up the following season.
Ian
Although not technically a full international, Ian has featured for the Irish Wolfhounds and Sevens teams thus qualifying him for inclusion in this list. Eleven years younger than his brother, his first taste of professional rugby came at Leicester Tigers before switching to Ulster in 2008, playing in the Heineken Cup final of 2012. He is currently playing at London Irish, having joined two seasons ago.
