Matt Perry
Birth nameMatthew Brendan Perry
Date of birth (1977-01-27) 27 January 1977
Place of birthBath, Somerset, England
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight13 st 12 lb (88 kg)
SchoolMillfied School
Notable relative(s)Idris Perry, Brendan Perry
Rugby union career
Position(s) Full Back
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1997–2006 Bath 221 (561)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1997–2001
2001		 England
Lions		 36
3		 (50)
(0)

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]

References

  1. ↑ "Matt Perry". ESPN. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  2. ↑ Woolford, Anthony (13 April 2015). "Meet the men who could have played for Wales but opted for the Red Rose instead..." WalesOnline. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Injury forces Perry to retire". Wiltshire Times. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  4. ↑ Armstrong, Robert (13 September 1997). "Champagne style of Perry vintage". The Guardian. p. A10. ProQuest 188075119
  5. 1 2 Hands, David (22 November 1997). "New post lets Perry enjoy life to the full". The Times. p. 35. ProQuest 317873586
  6. ↑ Kitson, Robert (22 October 1999). "Battered Perry back for more". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "Bath's greatest players: Is this Bath's greatest all-time XV?". Ruck. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Kitson, Robert (13 January 2006). "Bath hope return to Europe can help widen their horizons". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  9. ↑ Hewitt, Chris (28 January 1998). "Rugby Union: Perry waxes philosophical after axe as Bath turn to Callard's trusty boot". The Independent. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  10. ↑ King, Ed (15 April 2005). "Perry aims to open new chapter". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Richards, Huw (28 March 2007). "Matthew Perry - One of the good guys". ESPN. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  12. ↑ Spink, Alex (20 October 1999). "Rugby Union World Cup:Perry won't bottle the Fiji air raid". Daily Mirror. p. 38. ProQuest 338219180
  13. ↑ "Sporting Digest: Rugby Union". 22 May 1998. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  14. ↑ "Australia 76-0 England: Where Are The Starting XV Now?". Ruck. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Richards, Huw (7 June 2018). "England's 1998 Tour from Hell to Australia, South Africa and New Zealand". EPSN. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Whitehead, Jacob (14 September 2019). "Five memorable moments from the 1999 Rugby World Cup". Rugby World. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  17. ↑ Kitson, Robert (29 November 2000). "Perry back as England opt for rotating bench". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  18. ↑ Trelford, Donald (5 December 2000). "Now for the fine tuning". Daily Telegraph. p. 43. ProQuest 317435329
  19. ↑ Hamilton, Tom (12 March 2016). "Matt Perry heralds record-breaking England fullback Mike Brown". ESPN. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  20. ↑ Kelleher, Will (26 January 2023). "Former England star Mike Brown trains with Leicester Tigers in bid to earn contract". The Times. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Match by match list". ESPN. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  22. ↑ "Six Nations: Perry to play for second string". Irish Examiner. 13 February 2002. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  23. ↑ Hewitt, Chris (5 March 2003). "Woodward rewards Lewsey's patience with England call". The Independent. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  24. ↑ Bates, Rupert (30 May 2004). "Warm-up injury the final straw for Perry Rupert". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  25. ↑ "Injured Perry ends playing career". BBC Sport. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "Record-breaking former England back Matt Perry has announced his retirement from the game". Six Nations Rugby. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "Our team". Transition 15. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  28. ↑ Evans, Daniel (6 July 2017). "Ex-Bath Rugby star Matt Perry talks confidence, excitement and yachts on the Lions tour of New Zealand". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  29. ↑ "The England players you may have forgotten were selected for the British and Irish Lions". Ruck. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  30. ↑ "'Losing my mum made me want to help': London Irishman's loss inspires sports challange". The Irish Post. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  31. ↑ "Ex-rugby star Matt Perry's fundraising in memory of his sister". Wiltshire Air Ambulance. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
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