Kirwan played for Marist Brothers Old Boys RFC and earned 142 caps with Auckland.
He made 63 test matches as an All Black from 1984-1994 and played a major role in the All Blacks’ 23 test unbeaten run from 1987 to 1990, scoring 10 tries in five tests against Wales and Australia during 1988.
He signed for the then newly formed rugby league club Auckland Warriors and became their 1996 Auckland Warriors season's top scorer.
Kirwan got his first professional coaching role in 2001 as an assistant coach with the Auckland Blues, but moved to Italy the following year to become the coach of Azzurri, the national Italian team that recorded two victories over Wales in 2003 and Scotland in 2004 under Kirwan's guidance.
In July 2012, Kirwan was announced as the new coach of the Blues for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He stepped down from this role in June 2015, with Tana Umaga succeeding him.
(LS April 2016)
