Jerry Holland, a former lock for Munster and Ireland, passed away at the age of 66, the province announced in a statement this afternoon.
“It is with great sadness that Munster Rugby has learned of the passing of Jerry Holland after illness,” the Munster statement read.
“A legend of rugby in Munster, Jerry excelled as a player, coach, team manager, and administrator.”
Holland, a Cork native, was a mainstay for Munster, serving the team as a player, coach, and subsequently manager.
Between 1981 and 1986, Holland played for Ireland in three international matches, appearing in both tests of the South African tour of 1981 and then facing Wales in the 1986 Five Nations. After relocating to Dublin and joining the renowned Wanderers club, Holland would play for Leinster later in his playing career.
After his playing career was over, Holland went on to coach Munster between 1994 and 1997. During this time, Munster won two interprovincial championships, ending Ulster’s dominance of the sport and advancing to the Heineken Cup for the first time in 1995.
Declan Kidney took over for Holland, a manager of a Cork building society who declined to apply for the position of a full-time director of coaching at Munster in 1997, even though he continued to help with first-team training.
Along with coaches Declan Kidney and Alan Gaffney, he remained in the position for Munster Rugby’s heyday, helping the region to two historic Heineken Cup victories in 2006 and 2008.
Between 2007 and 2021, Billy, also a second row, played more than 250 times for Munster.
Later, Holland worked for Cork Constitution as the director of rugby before rising to the position of club president.
Jerry Holland’s date of birth.
Jerry Holland was born on 24 November 1955 in Cork, Ireland. He was of Irish nationality. He was 66 years old when he passes away.
Jerry Holland’s career.
Holland, who was raised in Cork, played for Munster and earned three caps for Ireland between 1981 and 1986 before switching to coaching. He served as the province’s head coach for three seasons, from 1994–1995 to 1996–1997, guiding it through its transformation from an amateur to a professional team and its inaugural Heineken Cup matches.
During his tenure as head coach, Munster won all of their home Heineken Cup contests and also captured the IRFU Interprovincial Championship in 1994–95 and 1996–97. All four Irish provinces were required to employ full-time directors of coaching before the 1997–98 season, although Holland opted not to apply for the position.
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Instead, Holland joined the coaching staff of Munster under new head coach John Bevan and managed Ireland A during the 1998–1999 season before taking over as manager of Munster from 2000 until 2007. Holland began working for EBS, one of Ireland’s biggest financial institutions, after rugby. Billy, his son, is a rugby player who has played for Munster and earned one cap for Ireland in 2016.