Equally at home at full back or fly half, the versatile Ian Keatley has done a fantastic job in plugging the gap left by Paul Warwick’s departure from Munster. After failing to win a full time Leinster contract, Keatley joined Connacht in 2008 where he became the Western Province's top ever points scorer, scoring 688 points.
Keatley’s fine performances for Connacht alerted Munster who sealed his signature in 2011. He had a fine first season for Munster, adequately covering for the incumbent Ronan O’Gara when the IRFU’s player welfare scheme kicked in.
Keatley scored over 1000 points for the province in October 2016, surpassing the milestone against Zebre in Thomond Park, becoming just the second player ever to do so after Ronan O'Gara. Selected to tour North America in May 2009, playing in both tests against Canada and USA. Added a third cap off the bench against Georgia in 2014.
Play for Emerging Ireland in the Tbilisi Cup in 2013 and in the team that won the Nations Cup in Bucharest in 2014. He made his first appearance in the 6 Nations starting at No.10 against Italy in Rome, 2015, kicking 14 points.
Keatley was called into the Irish squad for the 2017 Six Nations, when first choice fly half Johnny Sexton was injured. In May 2017, he signed a new two-year contract with Munster. In October the experienced out-half became the second Munster player ever to score over 1000 points, achieving the milestone against Zebre in Thomond Park.
The 2018/19 Pro14 season saw him add to his 176 Munster appearances and 1237 points scored. As of the 2018/2019 Champions Cup, Keatley has had 60 European Cup appearances scoring 4 tries and 482 points.
In January 2019, he signed a short-term contract with London Irish until the end of the 2018/19 season before joining Italian Pro14 side Benetton ahead of the 2019–20 season.
In January 2021, Keatley signed for Glasgow Warriors after he was released by Benetton.
As of 18 January, only former Glasgow Warriors fly-half Dan Parks and Wales’ Dan Biggar can claim to have scored more points in the Guinness PRO14 than Keatley, who has amassed 1,524 points over 13 years in the competition. The fly-half’s 212 appearances in the competition are surpassed only by his former Connacht captain John Muldoon, with the Dubliner having also been a part of a Munster squad that reached six semi-finals in his eight seasons at Thomond Park.
JW Jan 2021
Career
 |
Young Munster RFC Fly Half |
|
 |
Leinster Rugby Fly Half |
2007 - 2008 |
 |
Connacht Rugby Fly Half |
2008 - 2011 |
 |
Irish Wolfhounds Fly Half |
2013 - 2015 |
 |
Ireland Fly Half |
2009 - 2018 |
 |
Munster Rugby Fly Half |
2011 - 2019 |
 |
London Irish Fly Half |
2019 - 2019 |
 |
Benetton Rugby Fly Half |
2019 - 2021 |
 |
Glasgow Warriors Fly Half |
2021 - 2021 |
