Former Ireland international prop Phil O’Callaghan has passed away at the age of 83, his local club Dolphin RFC confirmed on Sunday.
The Cork man won 21 caps for his country between 1967 and 1976, while also representing his province of Munster on 34 occasions, featuring in the first Munster team to beat Australia in January 1967.
It was in that same year that he won his first cap for Ireland, also against Australia, in Lansdowne Road.
Born and raised in Cork, O’Callaghan was not an early arriver to rugby. He played hurling, football and soccer in his teenage years, before joining Dolphin at the age of 16, debuting in the second row.
From there he played with Dolphin, Munster and then Ireland, while also lining out for the Barbarians six times across 1969 and 1970.
After his playing days, O’Callaghan went on to coach Cork clubs Dolphin and Sundays Well.
He was later inducted to the Munster Rugby Hall of Fame in 2016.