Jack Kyle

Infobox Rugby biography
name = Jack Kyle
birthname = John Wilson Kyle
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|df=yes|1926|1|10
placeofbirth = Belfast
Northern Ireland
height =
weight =
ru_currentteam =
ru_currentposition =
ru_position = fly-half
ru_clubyears =
ru_clubupdate =
ru_proclubs = Queen's University RFC
North of Ireland FC
ru_clubyears =
ru_clubcaps =
ru_clubpoints =
ru_province = Ulster
ru_provinceyears =
ru_provincecaps =
ru_provincepoints =
ru_provinceupdate =
ru_nationalyears = 1946-1958
1950
19xx-19xx
ru_nationalteam = Ireland
British Lions Barbarians
ru_nationalcaps = 46
6
?
ru_nationalpoints = 0(24)
0(?)
0(?)
ru_ntupdate =
other =
spouse =
children =
relatives =
school = Belfast Royal Academy
university = Queen's University, Belfast

John Wilson Kyle (born 10 January 1926, Belfast, Northern Ireland), commonly referred to as Jack Kyle or Jackie Kyle, is a former rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British Lions and the Barbarians [ [http://www.barbarianfc.co.uk/roll_of_honour.cfm www.barbarianfc.co.uk] ] during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1950 Kyle was declared one of the six players of the year by the "New Zealand Rugby Almanac" [ [http://www.lionsrugby.com/history/jackkyle.php www.lionsrugby.com] ] , in 1999 he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame [ [http://www.rugbyhalloffame.com/pages/kyle1999.htm www.rugbyhalloffame.com] ] and in 2002 he was named the "Greatest Ever Irish Rugby Player" by the Irish Rugby Football Union [ [http://www.irishrugby.ie/6855_1608.php www.irishrugby.ie] ] .

Kyle was educated at Belfast Royal Academy and studied medicine at Queen's University, Belfast [ [http://www.trinitynews.ie/articles.php?tn=1&issue=15&id=762 www.trinitynews.ie] ] . He graduated in 1951 and in 1991 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University [ [http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/Alumni/Reunions/PastReunions2008/GoldenJubileeReunion2008/ www.qub.ac.uk] ] . In 2007 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the "Irish Journal of Medical Science" and the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland [ [http://prod.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/medical-oscar-for-rugbys-jack-kyle-13409565.html belfasttelegraph.co.uk] ] He has also been awarded an OBE.

Rugby international

Ireland

Kyle first played for Ireland during the Second World War in a friendly against a British Army XV. However no caps were awarded [ [http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/jacks-emotional-return-13469675.html www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk] ] .Between 1947 and 1958, while playing for Ireland, he went onto make 46 full appearances and score 24 points, including 7 tries [ [http://www.irishrugby.ie/227_7678.php?player=24040&includeref=dynamic www.irishrugby.ie] ] . The highlight of his Ireland career came during the 1948 Five Nations Championship when, together with Karl Mullen and Mick O'Flanagan, he helped Ireland win a grand slam [ [http://www.ireland.com/sports/other/century/rugby1948.htm www.ireland.com] ] . Kyle played in all four games and he is often credited with masterminding Ireland’s success ["The Ireland Rugby Miscellany" (2007): Ciaran Cronin] . In 1949 he also helped Ireland win the Triple Crown and in 1951 they won the title again. Kyle made his last appearance for Ireland against Scotland on March 1 1958. Following a solo try against France at Ravenhill in 1953, an impressed newspaper journalist parodied "The Scarlet Pimpernel" with the lines:

They seek him here, they seek him there
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
That paragon of pace and guile,
That demned elusive Jackie Kyle.

British Lions

In 1950 Kyle also played for the British Lions on their tour to New Zealand and Australia. He played in 20 of the 29 games, including all six Tests. Among his tour highlights was a display that came in the first Test, a 9-9 draw with New Zealand. Of the Lions' nine points, Kyle scored a try, created another for Ken Jones and won a penalty that was converted by John Robins. During the tour, he also scored a try in the 24-3 defeat of Australia [ [http://www.lionsrugby.com/history/jackkyle.php www.lionsrugby.com] ] [ [http://www.rugbyhalloffame.com/pages/kyle1999.htm www.rugbyhalloffame.com] ] .

Later Years

After retiring from club rugby in 1963 Kyle, embarked on humanitarian work in Sumatra and Indonesia. Between 1966 and 2000 he worked as a consultant surgeon in Chingola, Zambia. He then returned to Northern Ireland and settled in County Down. He remained involved in rugby and in 2001 established the The Jack Kyle Bursary Fund in support of the Queen's University RFC Rugby Academy. [ [http://prod.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/medical-oscar-for-rugbys-jack-kyle-13409565.html belfasttelegraph.co.uk] ] [ [http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/Alumni/AlumniMagazineFileStore/Filetoupload,2272,en.pdf www.qub.ac.uk] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/1660001.stm news.bbc.co.uk] ]

Honours

Ireland

*Five Nations Championship
**"Winners": 1948, 1949, 1951: 3

References