Rugby fans are familiar with all the dynasties that exist within the sport, however, although there are a lot of second generation internationals you could name, there is hardly any third-generation international rugby players.
So here at RUCK, we thought which families have this tradition? We could only find four examples of sons, fathers and grandfathers all winning international caps.
Click through the article, below, to discover the few players in this elite group of third-generation international rugby players…
If you can think of any other third-generation international rugby players, please let us know so we can add them to the list.
Third-generation international rugby players:
1. Kenny Murphy – Ireland
Our first third-generation international rugby player is Kenny Murphy, who is a former Irish rugby union international player who played as a full-back. He played for the Ireland team from 1990 to 1992, winning 11 caps. He was a member of the Ireland squad at the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
His father, Noel Murphy, jr, made 41 appearances for Ireland between 1958 and 1969. The powerhouse flanker also toured with the British & Irish Lions twice, the 1959 and 1966 tours of Australia and New Zealand. He made his Lions debut on 30 May 1959 against New South Wales and marked the occasion with a try before going on to win eight caps for the tourists.
Murphy’s Grandfather, Noel Murphy, sr, was also an Ireland international between 1930 and 1933,winning 11 caps playing as a flanker. He also coached the Ireland squad on their 1961 tour of South Africa when the touring party also included his son Noel Jr.