Matthew "Matt" James Cook (born 17 May 1978)[1] is a Jersey-born Spanish international rugby union player. He plays as a Flanker[2] or a Number 8. Cook currently plays for Tunbridge Wells RFC[3] and the Spain national rugby union team.
| Birth name | Matthew James Cook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 17 May 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Saint Helier, Jersey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 244 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | De La Salle College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Northampton University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal life
editBorn in Saint Helier, Cook was educated at De La Salle College.[4]
Career
editCook started to play rugby at the age of 6 for Jersey. In 1998 he moved from Jersey to England and signed for Bedford Blues where he made his debut in the English Premiership on his 21st birthday against Richmond RFC.[5] In that match he scored two tries.[1] This was his only senior game for Bedford Blues.[6] He was later released by Bedford Blues and attempted to find another Premiership club. In 2003, he was signed by Blaydon RFC.[7] When he was unable to join another Premiership club, he retired from rugby.[5]
In 2005, Cook moved to Villajoyosa, Spain and came out of retirement to sign for CR La Vila.[5] In 2009, he was selected to play for Olympus Rugby XV Madrid in the European Challenge Cup.[8] In 2013, Cook played for English amateur side, Tunbridge Wells RFC.[9]
International career
editIn 2009, Cook was invited by the Spanish national team to join them in training camps.[4] In 2010, Cook qualified to play for Spain under residency rules as he had lived in Spain for 5 years. He made his debut in a 2011 Rugby World Cup qualifier against Russia national rugby union team at Estadio Nacional Complutense in Madrid.[10] This made him the second Jersey born player to win an international cap after Matt Banahan was called up to the England national rugby union team.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Matt Cook". ESPN. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Swopped sides". The Olive Press. 18 November 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ Hare, Kevin (7 November 2013). "Chile vs Spain – 9th Nov 2013". Rugbyredefined.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Cook poised for cap – from Spain". This Is Jersey.com. 4 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c "A CHAT WITH MATT COOK". The Leader. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Matthew Cook". Premiership Rugby. 16 May 1999. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Regional rugby review. – Free Online Library". The Free Library. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ "LA VILA PLAYERS MAKE OLYMPUS TEAM". The Leader. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Pair's international honours". This is Kent. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Cook earns Spanish cap". This is Jersey. 17 February 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "International cap for Matt Cook". Channel Online. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2014.