Denis Buckley

Who is Denis Buckley?

Denis Buckley is a rugby union player from County Roscommon in Ireland. His primary position is at loosehead prop. Buckley currently plays for Irish provincial team Connacht Rugby in the Pro 12. Buckley first played rugby with local club Creggs RFC, and was a student at the prestigious Blackrock College. He plays his club rugby for Buccaneers.

Buckley became part of Connacht's senior squad in 2011, joining the team for the 2011-12 season. He made his first appearance for the team in a 2011-12 Pro 12 match against Benetton Treviso in September that year. His first European appearance came against Toulouse in the 2011-12 Heineken Cup on 14 January 2012, also as a replacement. Buckley made his first start on 24 February that year in a Pro 12 match with Edinburgh. In total, his first season saw him make 8 Pro 12 appearances and feature in 2 Heineken Cup games for the province.

Buckley's second season saw him play more regularly for the team, starting 7 matches in the 2012-13 Pro 12 and making 15 appearances in the competition overall. He also featured in 5 of the team's 6 matches in the 2012-13 Heineken Cup, starting in the game away against Zebre, and in both ties with Harlequins. Buckley signed a new contract in November 2012 to keep him with the province until 2015.