Matt Hopper

Last updated

Matt Hopper
ST vs Harlequins - Warm-up Harlequins-7.jpg
Birth nameMatthew Aaron Hopper
Date of birth (1985-01-29) 29 January 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth Exeter, England
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight90 kg (14 st 2 lb; 198 lb) [1]
School Exeter School
University Cardiff University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre / Fullback
Current team Harlequins
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2007–2008
2008–2010
2010–2011
2011–2017
2017–		 Manly
Plymouth Albion
Cornish Pirates
Harlequins
Oyonnax 		15
30
28
113
16		 (45)
 ?
(45)
(53)
10
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2012 - 2014 England Saxons 2 (0)

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.

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]

Related Research Articles

Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby union system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Bears</span> English rugby union football club

Bristol Bears are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Varndell</span> England international rugby union player

Tom Varndell is an English rugby union player who plays on the wing as a player-coach for Bury St Edmunds. Varndell also has caps for England and England Sevens, as well as having represented other Premiership Rugby sides Bristol Bears and Wasps. He is the second highest try scorer in Premiership Rugby after Chris Ashton.

The Premiership Rugby Shield was launched in 2003 as the Premiership Rugby A League. It runs parallel to the Premiership Rugby seasons. Split into north and south pools, it comprises twelve sides. The clubs select players from their academy and first team squads to make up their A League teams. This gives both young and experienced players the opportunity to play competitive rugby week in week out. Players from feeder clubs are allowed to play under dual registration for additional development benefit. Despite Bristol Bears having played in the Championship for several seasons since 2003. Bristol United have been included in the Shield since its inception regardless of league status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Lewis (rugby union)</span> English rugby union player

Dave Lewis is an English rugby union footballer, currently playing in the Gallagher Premiership for Harlequins. He plays as a scrum half.

James Scaysbrook is a retired English rugby union player who played for Exeter Chiefs. He is now the defence coach for Coventry RFC.

Peter Short was a rugby union footballer who played as a lock forward predominantly for Bath in the Aviva Premiership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Parling</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player & coach

Geoff Parling is an English rugby union coach and former player. His usual playing position was lock.

Kai Horstmann is a Zimbabwe born English rugby union player who plays for Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership. He formerly played for Worcester Warriors and Harlequins and has made over 175 Premiership appearances to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rory Clegg</span> Rugby player

Rory Clegg is a former rugby union player. He played as a Fly-half.

David Peter Ewers is a Zimbabwean rugby union player in the United Rugby Championship for Irish team Ulster. He previously played for Exeter Chiefs and Cornish Pirates. He is capable of playing both Flanker and Number 8. Ewers is known for his destructive ball carrying, and exceptional defensive capabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Kvesic</span> England international rugby union player

Matthew Boris "Matt" Kvesic is an English professional rugby union player for Coventry. Born in Germany to English parents, he represented England at international level and played for several youth representative sides before making his debut for the senior team in 2013. Predominantly an openside flanker, he has also played on the blindside and at number eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Dickson</span> Rugby player

Karl Dickson, is an English professional rugby union referee and former scrum half for Bedford Blues and Harlequins. He has previously coached at St. John's School, Leatherhead.

The 2012–13 Aviva Premiership was the 26th season of the top-flight English domestic rugby union competition and the third one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Harlequins, who had claimed their first title after defeating Leicester Tigers in the 2012 final. London Welsh had been promoted as champions from the 2011–12 RFU Championship, their first promotion to the top flight.

Sam Hill is a rugby union player for Houston Sabercats in the Major League Rugby. He made his Premiership debut against Wasps playing for Exeter Chiefs on 28 January 2012 and he plays as a centre.

The 2013–14 Aviva Premiership was the 27th season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the fourth one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Leicester Tigers, who had claimed their tenth title after defeating Northampton Saints in the 2013 final. Newcastle Falcons had been promoted as champions from the 2012–13 RFU Championship at the first attempt.

Oliver Jonathan Devoto is an English rugby union player, who plays for Exeter Chiefs as a utility back primarily as a centre and fly-half.

The 2015–16 Aviva Premiership was the 29th season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the sixth one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Saracens, who had claimed their second title after defeating Bath in the 2015 final. Worcester Warriors had been promoted as champions from the 2014–15 RFU Championship at the first attempt.

The 2016–17 Aviva Premiership was the 30th season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the seventh one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Saracens, who had claimed their third title after defeating Exeter Chiefs in the 2016 final. Bristol Bears had been promoted as champions from the 2015–16 RFU Championship after a seven year absence.

References

  1. ↑ "Harlequins 1st XV". Harlequins website. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Matt Hopper, My Whirlwind Season". RFU website. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "Harlequins Sign Up Matt Hopper". BBC website. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Hopper Relishing Saxons Opportunity". BBC website. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Harlequins 30-23 Leicester". BBC Sport. 26 May 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Harlequins centre Matt Hopper to join Oyonnax next season". BBC Sport. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.