Darren Wright (born 17 January 1968) is an English professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played as a wing or centre. He spent most of playing career with rugby league club Widnes, scoring over 100 tries for the club between 1985 and 1996, and also played briefly for Australian club North Sydney. He played at representative level for Great Britain, winning one cap during the 1988 Lions tour. In 1996, he switched to rugby union, playing for Sale and Orrell.
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| Born | 17 January 1968 Leigh, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Wing, Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background edit
Darren Wright was born in Leigh, Lancashire, England. A former Leigh Miners Welfare amateur,[3] Wright was signed by Widnes in March 1985.[4]
Rugby league career edit
Club career edit
Wright made his debut for Widnes as a substitute in December 1985 in a league match against York.[3]
Wright played centre, and scored a try in Widnes' 6–12 defeat by Wigan in the 1988–89 John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1988–89 season at Burnden Park, Bolton on Saturday 7 January 1989.[5]
During the 1989–90 Rugby Football League season, he played for defending champions Widnes at centre in their 1989 World Club Challenge victory against the visiting Canberra Raiders.
Wright played for North Sydney during the 1990 NSWRL season.[6]
Wright played on the wing in Widnes' 24–18 victory over Salford in the 1990 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1990–91 season at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 29 September 1990.
During the 1991–92 season, Wright played at centre in the 24–0 victory over Leeds in the 1991–92 Regal Trophy Final at Central Park, Wigan on 11 January 1992.
Darren Wright's Testimonial match at Widnes took place in 1995.
Representative career edit
Wright was called up for the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour as a replacement for the injured Shaun Edwards.[7] He came on a substitute in the second test match against Australia on 28 June 1988.[8] This was Wright's only cap for the senior Great Britain side.
Rugby union career edit
In July 1996, Wright joined rugby union club Sale, along with fellow Widnes teammates John Devereux and Adrian Hadley.[9] After one season at the club, he moved to Orrell.[10]
References edit
- ^ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Player Summary: Darren Wright". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ a b Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David, eds. (1996). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1996. London: Headline Publishing Group. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7472-7767-5.
- ^ Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David, eds. (1985). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1985-86. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 375. ISBN 978-0-356-10944-2.
- ^ "7th January 1989: Wigan 12 Widnes 6 (John Player Trophy Final)". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "Souths Upheaval As Piggins Moves The Deckchairs". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 May 1990. p. 72 – via NewsBank.
- ^ "Wright covers for Edwards". The Guardian. London. 26 May 1988. p. 15 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Ashes Series 1988 Series - Game 2". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ Llewellyn, David (27 August 1996). "Courage Clubs' Championship National League One: Club-by-club guides". The Independent. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ Trow, Paul (16 August 1997). "Rugby union: England's super 12: Club-by-club guide to the Allied Dunbar Premiership". The Independent. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
External links edit
- Rugby union statistics at Statbunker