James Hart (rugby union)

James Hart (born 28 July 1991) is an Irish rugby union player who currently plays for French Rugby Pro D2 side Biarritz. He plays as a scrum-half.

James Hart

Birth name	James Hart
Date of birth	(1991-07-28) 28 July 1991 (age 34)
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	82 kg (12.9 st; 181 lb)
School	Belvedere College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps Points Clontarf () Senior career Years Team Apps Points 2011–2016 Grenoble 64 (274) 2016–2017 Racing 92 19 (63) 2017–2019 Munster 16 (10) 2019– Biarritz 30 (99) Correct as of 25 September 2021

Career

Son of an Irish father and French mother, Hart grew up playing amateur rugby in Dublin for Clontarf FC and also spent some time with grandparents in Toulouse, an area with a strong rugby culture.^[1] In 2011, he accepted a trial invitation from French Rugby Pro D2 side Grenoble, where ex-Leinster player Bernard Jackman was a coach, and earned a place in the club's academy.^[2] He played his first game for the club against London Welsh. After 5 seasons with Grenoble, Hart moved to another Top 14 club, Racing 92.^[3]

On 24 January 2017, it was announced that Hart would be joining Irish province Munster on a two-year contract, beginning at the conclusion of the 2016–17 season.^[4] Hart made his competitive debut for Munster on 1 September 2017, coming off the bench against Benetton in Round 1 of the 2017–18 Pro14.^[5] He made his first start for Munster on 26 November 2017, doing so against Zebre and scoring his first try for the province in their 36–19 away victory.^[6]

Hart left Munster at the end of the 2018–19 season, to return to French rugby and join Biarritz ahead of the 2019–20 season.^[7]