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Ask Steven: Like father, like son
John Griffiths
September 29, 2015

How many fathers and sons have featured in RWC tournaments? HG, England

The 2015 tournament is the first to feature sons whose dads played in earlier Rugby World Cups.

Paul Moriarty (Wales) and Des Fitzgerald (Ireland) faced each other in their nations' first Rugby World Cup match on 25th May 1987 at Athletic Park, Wellington. Wales won 13-6 with Moriarty at No.8 and Fitzgerald as tight-head prop.

Ross Moriarty follows his father into the Welsh back-row for this tournament while Luke Fitzgerald, who missed the cuts for the RWC squads of 2007 and 2011, will be in Ireland's threequarter line.

Diego Ormaechea became the RWC's oldest player when he led Uruguay from the pack in the 1999 tournament. His son Agustín is a scrum-half in the current Uruguayan squad and plays for Mont-de-Marsan in France, the club of the famous Boniface brothers and former French captain Christian Darrouy.

The fourth and most recent dad to play in a RWC is England's Andy Farrell, who is also one of the England coaching team for this year's tournament. He played in the 2007 competition. His son, Owen, is one of the English outside-halves for this year's event.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
WRITER BIO

John Griffiths is a widely respected rugby historian and is the author of several sports books, including The Book of English International Rugby, The Book of International Rugby Records, British Lions, The Five Nations Championship, Rugby's Strangest Matches and Rugby's Greatest Characters. He was a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph for 19 years and is co-author of the IRB International Rugby Yearbook. He has also provided insight for Scrum.com since 1999.

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