Former Munster and Irish Rugby Sevens player looking for ‘dominant woman' with ‘dark eyes' set to enter Love Island Villa

Irish Independent

05-06-2025

Conor Phillips (25), a former Munster Rugby and Irish Rugby Sevens player will enter the villa for the 12th season of the show, starting next week.
He follows in the footsteps of Limerick man and former Rugby Sevens player Greg O'Shea, who won the fifth season of Love Island in 2019.
When asked what type of person he is looking for, Phillips said: 'Someone who is really sure of themselves, ambitious, a bit of a go-getter and good craic."
'I like dark eyes and I don't mind a dominant woman,' he said.
He continued: 'I don't like to answer to anyone else. I like to do my own thing. It's something I'm working on for a relationship. Hopefully I've improved.'
Phillips joins another Irish contestant, Dublin actor and panto actress Megan Forte Clarke, who will also take part in the summer series.
Having debuted for Munster in 2022, he received the news shortly after that the province would not be offering him a contract, having come up through Young Munster.
'You're in Munster and you think you are going to play rugby until you're 35 and then go on TV and all this stuff,' Phillips told the Irish Independent.
'I never thought about a job but my mom always made sure that I got my degree in health and exercise fitness in UL, I just finished that last year,' he said in 2024.
Following this, he moved to Dublin to play with Terenure, playing a key role in his team making it to the Energia All-Ireland League final against Cork Con.
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At the time, while working in tech sales, he lived with Conán O'Donnell (former Connacht prop), who was in the same position as he had just come back from the Toronto Arrows.
He said: 'We were on the dole together. It was very tough. I don't think we appreciated how tough it was. We just got on with it.
'Looking back on it now, it's humbling because if you had any bit of an ego, thinking you were above anyone because you played rugby, you definitely aren't when you're going into the post office every week trying to get money.
'That was quite tough. There were thoughts going through my head, 'will I go back to Limerick just to be with my mom? I'm comfortable there. Will I just pack it in and go play abroad?'
The Limerick native said his biggest 'ick' in someone is being needy, or needing to do everything together.
"I like someone to be independent and do their own thing and then we come together and do our thing,' he said.
When asked about his claim to fame, he replied: 'I play professional rugby. I'm a winger.'
When asked if he were the CEO of anything, what would it be, he replied: 'Mischief. I'm the class clown type vibe. Being in big teams and groups all the time, I'm always mixing things up, stirring the pot.'
On how he likes to fIirt, he said: 'I ask girls if they want to go halves on a baby. It doesn't work, but it gets them laughing. It's an ice-breaker, not a serious question of course.'
'I'd be keeping my head above water… I'm doing nicely as a single person, but I need a relationship, I need to settle down and invest in some stocks,' he added.
He listed singing as one of his hidden talents. 'My go to is Mario's 'Let Me Love You'. I've sang in front of a lot of people before,' he said.
'If it's your first rugby match you have to get on the bus and sing -they loved it.'