Barry Arthur Wright (born 12 April 1936) is an Australian former international rugby union player.
| Full name | Barry Arthur Wright | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 12 April 1936 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Goomeri, QLD, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 12 st 9 lb (177 lb; 80 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Ipswich Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wright grew up in the rural Queensland town of Goomeri. He was boarder at Ipswich Grammar School and had three years with the 1st XV, earning GPS All Schools representative honours.[1]
At the age of 18, Wright captained the 1954 Australian XV that toured Fiji and Tonga, becoming the youngest person to lead an Australian international rugby team. The side played unofficial Test matches against the Pacific nations.[2]
Wright, a GPS club player, gained his solitary Wallabies call up in 1955 for a tour of New Zealand, where he featured in five uncapped matches, all as part of a winning team.[3]
In 1956, Wright moved back to Goomeri to take up a pharmacy apprenticeship.[3]
Returning to Brisbane rugby in 1959, Wright played three seasons with Wests, before making a switch to rugby league and joining the dominant Northern Suburbs side coached by Bob Bax.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Barry Was Surprised". Queensland Times. 12 August 1954. p. 3 (Daily) – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Teenager to Captain Aust. XV". Warwick Daily News. 12 August 1954. p. 6 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c "Barry Arthur Wright". classicwallabies.com.au.