Matt Hopper (born 29 January 1985) is a rugby union player for Harlequins in the Aviva Premiership. He primarily plays as a Centre but can also cover Fullback.
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| Birth name | Matthew Aaron Hopper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 29 January 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Exeter, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (14 st 2 lb; 198 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Exeter School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Cardiff University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hopper started playing mini rugby at age 10 and continued through school and in the junior teams of the Exeter Chiefs, following in the footsteps of his father Keith who captained Exeter during the 1960s.[2] He also played for Wessex and, while studying, for Cardiff University. After graduation Matt spent a year in Australia and played for Manly, before returning to the UK and joining Plymouth Albion.
Following two years with Plymouth, Hopper joined Cornish Pirates in 2010. Pirates were defeated over the two legs of the 2010–11 RFU Championship Final by Worcester, but the team's dynamic playing style had attracted attention from several Premiership clubs and Hopper was recruited to join Harlequins in April 2011.[3]
Hopper made his competitive debut for Quins against Sale Sharks in round 5 of the Aviva Premiership and gained his first start against Gloucester in the Heineken Cup, scoring a try. An injury to George Lowe gave Matt a run in the first XV and he played seven full matches during December 2011 and January 2012, including an away victory against French giants Toulouse. Hopper impressed many during this period and was rewarded with a call up to Stuart Lancaster's Saxons squad to face the Irish Wolfhounds on 28 January 2012.[4]
He was a replacement for Harlequins in their 2011–12 Premiership final victory over Leicester Tigers.[5]
ON 13 April 2017, Hopper to leave Harlequins and join French club Oyonnax in the Top 14 from the 2017–18 season.[6]
References edit
- ^ "Harlequins 1st XV". Harlequins website. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Matt Hopper, My Whirlwind Season". RFU website. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Harlequins Sign Up Matt Hopper". BBC website. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Hopper Relishing Saxons Opportunity". BBC website. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Harlequins 30-23 Leicester". BBC Sport. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ "Harlequins centre Matt Hopper to join Oyonnax next season". BBC Sport. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.