Matt Perry (rugby union) explained

Matt Perry
Birth Name:Matthew Brendan Perry
Birth Date:1977 1, df=yes
Birth Place:Bath, Somerset, England
Weight:13st
School:Millfied School
Relatives:Idris Perry, Brendan Perry
Ru Position:Full Back
Youthyears1: 
Ru Clubyears:1997–2006
Ru Proclubs:Bath
Ru Clubcaps:221
Ru Clubpoints:(561)
Super14years: 
Ru Nationalyears:1997–2001
2001
Ru Nationalteam:England
Lions
Ru Nationalcaps:36
3
Ru Nationalpoints:(50)
(0)
Repsevensyears1: 

Matthew Brendan Perry (born 27 January 1977 in Bath, Somerset)[1] is an English former rugby union player who played fullback for Bath. He played internationally for England and the British & Irish Lions.

Youth and early career

A cricketer, at Millfield School Perry captained a side including Ben Hollioake, later an England international.[2] He made his debut for Bath's first team towards the end of the amateur era in December 1995.[3] Perry went to South Africa to play for the Durban Crusaders' under-21 side for four months in 1996.[4] [5] This caused him to give up a place at University College, Cardiff.[5] [6] On returning to the UK, Perry rejoined Bath. He played 221 times for the club before retiring in 2007.[7] He played in eight of Bath's nine matches in their winning 1997–98 Heineken Cup campaign, being omitted only from the final against Brive in Bordeaux in favour of Jon Callard, where he was named as a replacement.[8] [9] [10]

England rugby

England coach Clive Woodward, selected Perry for his first match in charge against Australia in the autumn 1997.[11] Perry was awarded Man of the Match on his debut.[12] In the Rugby Football Union's 1997/98 awards, Perry was recognised as the young player of the year.[13]

In 1998, Perry went on England's "Tour to Hell" of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. During the 76–0 defeat by Australia, he played out of position at centre.[14] [15] He was part of England's squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.[16]

Aged 23, Perry beat Jonathan Webb's record to become England's most capped full back with 35 caps in the position,[17] [18] a record that has since been overtaken by Mike Brown.[19] [20] He went on to score 10 tries for England.[21] A back injury saw him dropped from the England squad for Iain Balshaw; he later made way for both Jason Robinson and Josh Lewsey.[11] [22] [23] Perry made his last appearance for the England senior team in 2001 when he played against France.[21] Perry subsequently went on the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, playing in all three tests.[11]

Later career

Perry continued to play for Bath after his final England appearance, but was plagued by injuries. He was forced to withdraw from the 2004 Zurich Premiership final due to a calf strain sustained in the pre-match warm-up.[24]

Retirement

A bulging disc in Perry's back resulted in spasms and sciatic damage in his left leg, and he retired from playing rugby on 27 March 2007.[25] On ending his rugby career, he was reported to be joining a consultancy company.[26] He is the founder and director of the company Transition 15.[27] [28]

Family

Perry's father Brendan and grandfather Idris also played for Bath.[29] One of Perry's grandmothers was from the town of Ballyhaunis in County Mayo, Ireland.[30] He has two sons.[31]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Matt Perry. ESPN. 27 January 2023.
  2. News: Meet the men who could have played for Wales but opted for the Red Rose instead.... Anthony. Woolford. WalesOnline. 13 April 2015. 27 January 2023.
  3. News: Injury forces Perry to retire. Wiltshire Times. 27 March 2007. 27 January 2023.
  4. News: Champagne style of Perry vintage. Robert. Armstrong. The Guardian. 13 September 1997. A10.
  5. News: New post lets Perry enjoy life to the full. David. Hands. The Times. 22 November 1997. 35.
  6. News: Battered Perry back for more. Robert. Kitson. The Guardian. 22 October 1999. 28 January 2023.
  7. News: Bath's greatest players: Is this Bath's greatest all-time XV?. Ruck. 28 August 2018. 27 January 2023.
  8. News: Bath hope return to Europe can help widen their horizons. Robert. Kitson. The Guardian. 13 January 2006. 27 January 2023.
  9. News: Rugby Union: Perry waxes philosophical after axe as Bath turn to Callard's trusty boot. Chris. Hewitt. The Independent. 28 January 1998. 27 January 2023.
  10. News: Perry aims to open new chapter. Ed. King. BBC Sport. 15 April 2005. 27 January 2023.
  11. News: Matthew Perry - One of the good guys. Huw. Richards. ESPN. 28 March 2007. 27 January 2023.
  12. News: Rugby Union World Cup:Perry won't bottle the Fiji air raid. Alex. Spink. Daily Mirror. 20 October 1999. 38.
  13. News: Sporting Digest: Rugby Union. 22 May 1998. 27 January 2023.
  14. News: Australia 76-0 England: Where Are The Starting XV Now?. Ruck. 10 April 2018. 27 January 2023.
  15. News: England's 1998 Tour from Hell to Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Huw. Richards. EPSN. 7 June 2018. 27 January 2023.
  16. News: Five memorable moments from the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Jacob. Whitehead. Rugby World. 14 September 2019. 27 January 2023.
  17. News: Perry back as England opt for rotating bench. Robert. Kitson. The Guardian. 29 November 2000. 27 January 2023.
  18. News: Now for the fine tuning. Donald. Trelford. Daily Telegraph. 5 December 2000. 43.
  19. News: Matt Perry heralds record-breaking England fullback Mike Brown. Tom. Hamilton. ESPN. 12 March 2016. 27 January 2023.
  20. News: Former England star Mike Brown trains with Leicester Tigers in bid to earn contract. Will. Kelleher. The Times. 26 January 2023. 27 January 2023.
  21. Web site: Match by match list. ESPN. 27 January 2023.
  22. News: Six Nations: Perry to play for second string. Irish Examiner. 13 February 2002. 27 January 2023.
  23. News: Woodward rewards Lewsey's patience with England call. Chris. Hewitt. The Independent. 5 March 2003. 27 January 2023.
  24. News: Warm-up injury the final straw for Perry Rupert. Rupert. Bates. Daily Telegraph. 30 May 2004. 27 January 2023.
  25. News: Injured Perry ends playing career. BBC Sport. 27 March 2007. 23 January 2023.
  26. News: Record-breaking former England back Matt Perry has announced his retirement from the game. Six Nations Rugby. 27 March 2007. 27 January 2023.
  27. Web site: Our team. Transition 15. 27 January 2023.
  28. News: Ex-Bath Rugby star Matt Perry talks confidence, excitement and yachts on the Lions tour of New Zealand. Daniel. Evans. Bath Chronicle. 6 July 2017. 27 January 2023.
  29. News: The England players you may have forgotten were selected for the British and Irish Lions. Ruck. 21 April 2020. 22 January 2023.
  30. News: 'Losing my mum made me want to help': London Irishman's loss inspires sports challange. The Irish Post. 25 April 2017. 27 January 2023.
  31. News: Ex-rugby star Matt Perry's fundraising in memory of his sister. Wiltshire Air Ambulance. 27 January 2023.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Matt Perry (rugby union)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.