John Kirwan (rugby)
[3] His paternal grandfather, Jack Kirwan, was a wing three-quarter/five-eighths originally from Reefton who played for the New Zealand rugby league team on 28 occasions.[citation needed] Kirwan played for Marist Brothers Old Boys RFC and Auckland domestically, winning 142 caps with the latter during an era when the side dominated the NPC and Ranfurly Shield.At age 30 Kirwan signed for the newly formed rugby league club Auckland Warriors for the 1995 ARL season, with a mutual option for 1996.Kirwan remained head coach of Japan through the 2011 Rugby World Cup, when they again drew with Canada, but lost to New Zealand, France and Tonga.In 2016, Kirwan's DNA heritage was investigated for a television programme, in which links to the Irish-American Kennedy family and Scottish mountaineer Alexander Kellas were shown.[14] In the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours, Kirwan was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to mental health.[15] In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, he was promoted to Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to mental health and rugby.