| Birth name | Andrew Warwick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1991-03-12)12 March 1991 (age 34) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ballymena, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 116 kg (18 st 4 lb; 256 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Ballymena Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Andrew Warwick is an Irishrugby union player who plays loosehead prop forUlster Rugby.
He started out playing forBallymena in theAll-Ireland League, while working as a lorry driver for his father's engineering firm. He was involved with Ulster's sub-academy, representing the province at under-19 and under-20 level before being brought into the academy by elite performance directorAllen Clarke.[4] He played for Ulster "A", and was named on the bench for the senior team during the2012–13 season, before signing an academy contract.[5] He made his senior debut in February 2014 against theCardiff Blues,[6] and was pressed into action at tighthead in place of the injuredJohn Afoa, earning praise from coachMark Anscombe for his doggedness.[7] He signed a 2-year developmental contract with Ulster in December 2014.[8] He made his 100th appearance for the province in aPro14 match againstMunster in 2018.[9]
In the summer of 2019 he developed a problem with hissciatic nerve, which eventually required surgery in August 2020.[10] On his return he was Ulster's fourth-choice loosehead prop, but after he came off the bench and stabilised Ulster's shaky scrum againstConnacht in only his fourth game back, he underlined his importance to the team. In the2021-22 season, he competes withEric O'Sullivan to be Ulster's first choice loosehead prop, starting most of theirChampions Cup matches.[11] He made his 150th appearance in aUnited Rugby Championship match against theBulls in 2022.[12] He was nominated for Ulster's men's player of the year award.[13]
Ulster head coachDan McFarland describes him as "a quality scrummager and hard worker in the loose", and notes his "experience and technical excellence".[14] He praises him for being "a really good scrummager, his mauling is excellent, his maul defence is excellent. He’s where he needs to be when he needs to be there ... The more experience that he’s got in terms of scrummaging at the Champions Cup level, he’s demonstrated that he’s well able for that ... he’s pushed himself where he maybe sat a little lower in the depth chart to one who is battling it out to be the first-choice loosehead in our club".[11] He made his 200th appearance for Ulster againstConnacht in October 2024.[15]
As of November 2021, he is also coaching the forwards at Ballymena rugby club.[16]
