Barry Wright (rugby union) explained

Barry Wright
Full Name:Barry Arthur Wright
Birth Date:12 April 1936
Birth Place:Goomeri, QLD, Australia
Height:5 ft 10 in
Weight:12 st 9 lbs
School:Ipswich Grammar School
Position:Centre / Fly-half
Provinceyears1:1954–61
Provinceapps1:16
Repyears1:1955

Barry Arthur Wright (born 12 April 1936) is an Australian former international rugby union player.

Wright grew up in the rural Queensland town of Goomeri. He was boarder at Ipswich Grammar School and had three years with the 1st XV, earning GPS All Schools representative honours.[1]

At the age of 18, Wright captained the 1954 Australian XV that toured Fiji and Tonga, becoming the youngest person to lead an Australian international rugby team. The side played unofficial Test matches against the Pacific nations.[2]

Wright, a GPS club player, gained his solitary Wallabies call up in 1955 for a tour of New Zealand, where he featured in five uncapped matches, all as part of a winning team.[3]

In 1956, Wright moved back to Goomeri to take up a pharmacy apprenticeship.[3]

Returning to Brisbane rugby in 1959, Wright played three seasons with Wests, before making a switch to rugby league and joining the dominant Northern Suburbs side coached by Bob Bax.[3]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Barry Was Surprised . . 12 August 1954 . 3 (Daily) . National Library of Australia.
  2. News: Teenager to Captain Aust. XV . . 12 August 1954 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
  3. Web site: Barry Arthur Wright . classicwallabies.com.au . en.