Colin Patterson (rugby union)

Colin Patterson

Birth name	Colin Stewart Patterson
Date of birth	(1955-03-03) 3 March 1955
Place of birth	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	72 kg (11 st 5 lb; 159 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Instonians () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1978-1980 Ireland 11 (20) 1980 British Lions 3 (0)

Colin Patterson (born 3 March 1955) is a former Ireland international rugby union player. He toured South Africa in 1980 with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for Instonians. His son Johnny captained the Regent House Grammar School side that reached the Ulster Schools Cup final in 2008.

Patterson studied law at Bristol and played for English Universities and British Universities. He rejoined Instonians on his return to Ireland and was selected for Ulster and capped by Ireland B in 1977 before winning his first full cap for Ireland against New Zealand in 1978. He won eleven senior caps and scored five tries for Ireland. His career came to a premature end when he suffered a serious knee injury playing against Griqualand West during the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa, after having been scrum-half in the first three internationals against South Africa.