Jan Cunningham is an Irish former rugby union player, who played centre, wing and fullback for Ulster.
He was educated at Bangor Grammar School, where he captained the 1st XV at rugby and the 1st XI at cricket.Trevor Gray, The History of Bangor Grammar School, 2015, Chapter 13b: 1990-1998 He captained Ulster Schools, was part of the Ireland Schools team that won the Triple Crown.
He studied Law at Trinity College Dublin, playing rugby for Dublin University, and was selected for Ireland at under-19 and under-21 level. He made his debut for Ulster against Munster in 1995.Gavin Mairs, "Jan just the man to lift Dungannon", Belfast Telegraph, 14 February 2003 After completing his law degree in 1997, he joined Ballymena R.F.C.Jim Stokes, "Jan sets his sights on Eaton Park", Belfast Telegraph, 18 July 1997 And signed a full-time contract with Ulster.Jim Stokes, "Mark off to join Exiles", Belfast Telegraph, 17 July 1997. He played all but one of Ulster's Heineken Cup matches in the first four seasons of the competition. He was part of the Ulster team who won the 1999 Heineken Cup, scoring three tries during the campaign. He started the final, but fractured his jaw and cheekbone in a tackle early in the first half, and was withdrawn at half-time.Jonathan Bradley, The Last Amateurs: The Incredible Story of Ulster Rugby's 1999 European Champions, The Blackstaff Press, 2018, pp. 168-171 Internationally, played for Ireland 'A' and Ireland Sevens, and was an unused substitute for the senior Ireland team in a friendly against Canada in 1997."Ireland make two changes", Evening Herald, 21 November 1997 At club level, he moved to Dungannon RFC before the 1999-2000 season,Jim Stokes, "Dungannon's table is set", Belfast Telegraph, 18 August 1999 and was part of the Dungannon team who were the first Ulster club to win the All-Ireland League in 2001."Brilliant Dungannon crowned All-Ireland champions", Ulster Herald, 31 May 2001
He fell out of favour at Ulster under head coach Alan Solomons, who left him out of the squad for the 2001–02 Heineken Cup."Ulster axe winger Cunningham", BBC Sport, 19 September 2001 His final appearance for the province came in December 2002, after a series of injuries left the team short of centres for a Heineken Cup tie against Biarritz Olympique,Gavin Mairs, "Go out there and blitz Biarritz: Cunningham", Belfast Telegraph, 27 October 2005 scoring a try in a narrow defeat."Ulster beaten by Biarritz", RTÉ Sport, 14 December 2002 His contract was up at the end of the 2002-03 season, and he was not offered a new one.Gavin Mairs, "European Cup heroes lose Ulster contracts", Belfast Telegraph, 11 February 2003 He had made 54 appearances for the province. He resumed his legal career as a trainee solicitor with Millar McCall Wylie, rising to become a partner at the firm in 2011.Jan Cunningham profile at Millar McCall Wylie His younger brother Bryn also played for Ulster,Bruce McKendry, Champions: The Players' Story, IRFU (Ulster Branch), 1999, p. 140 and has been the team's Operations Director since 2015.Richard Mulligan, "Ulster management happy with progression across all fronts", News Letter, 15 December 2015
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