The Chicago Hounds signed Mark O’Keeffe for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 28-year-old Irish wing/center is 6’1″ and 220 lbs.
Mark played just under 1000 minutes in 14 starts, carried for 1200 meters (10.8 meters per carry, scored 8 tries, three under the posts worth 7 points, and earned first-team All-MLR honors. He also played for Old Blue during the Fall American Rugby Premiership season.
Mark played 892 minutes in 13 matches, starting 11, scoring 7 tries, and had 82 carries for 903 meters (11 meters per carry) for Rugby ATL in 2021. He was also named to the MLR All-Second Team. He then played with Old Blue during the Fall American Rugby Premiership season.
Mark played 206 minutes in 4 matches, starting 3, for Rugby United New York during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. After the season he returned to Lansdowne FC and then played in the World Tens Series for the Miami Sun.
Mark made his Roosters (#20) debut in the 4th week of the 2019 season against NOLA Gold. He played 956 minutes in 14 matches, starting 13, at Inside-center, outside-center, and wing. He carried the ball 93 times for 959 meters, led the team with 11 broken tackles, and made 94 of his own. He also scored 4 tries. In the off-season, Mark played with Old Blue during the Fall of 2019 in the American Rugby Premiership.
Mark studied at University College Dublin and played for the team. He also played the last four years for Lansdowne FC, which competes in the Division 1A of the Ulster Bank All-Ireland League, home of the top 50 clubs in the nation. He contributed to the team winning the league title in 2018. One of his best rugby memories was scoring two tries for the 1st XV on his debut.
Before playing for Lansdowne, Mark played with Leinster’s Under-19s side and Connacht’s Under-20s team. He was also part of Saint Michael’s First XV that won the Leinster Senior Cup in 2012.
“O’Keeffe has proven himself one of Ireland’s most exciting young players to watch for the future having been a lethal try scorer, always in the conversation for leading the team and league tally.”
DJCoil Rugby Interview
Mark O’Keeffe, Rugby United New York, discusses playing for Lansdowne vs. RUNY, rugby in the U.S., and his coming to NY as a professional player on April 14, 2019, at MCU Park.
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