Neil Richard Joseph Barrett (born 27 July 1992 in Dublin) is an Irishrugby union player. He is a back-row forward who can play either blind side flanker or at number 8, and has occasionally played at centre.[1] He plays club rugby for Leinster in the Pro14 and Heineken Cup. Barrett, still not 20 years old, is seen as a great prospect for the future, and is a current member of the Irish national u-20 team, having also played for his country at u-18 (schools) and u-19 level. He is renowned for his ball carrying ability and strength, as well as crowd-pleasing "big hits", or impact tackles. He also represents a solid line-out option and is near the complete back-rower due to combativeness at the breakdown.[2] He is yet to establish himself as a starter for the senior Leinster team, but has made five appearances, as well as playing regularly for both the "A" and u-20 sides.[3] While attending Blackrock College he helped the school to win both the Senior and Junior cup. He was on the same cup-winning teams as fellow Leinster Rugby academy member and Ireland u-20 teammate Simon Hillary.
