Mathew Turner facts for kids
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| Full name | Mathew Drew Turner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 18 January 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cape Town, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb; 13 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Bishops College, Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mathew Drew Turner, known as "Mat", was born on January 18, 1988. He is a rugby union player from South Africa. Currently, he plays for the Seattle Seawolves team in Major League Rugby (MLR).
Mat also played rugby sevens for the England national team. He was part of the Sevens World Series from 2008 to 2013. He usually plays as a wing or fullback.
Before joining the England sevens team, Turner played for the UCT Ikey Tigers. He also played 15-a-side rugby for Bristol in England from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, he played for the Southern Kings against the British & Irish Lions. In 2015, he played for Western Province.
Contents
Mat Turner's Rugby Journey
Early Years and College Rugby
Mat Turner was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He went to Western Province Preparatory School and then Bishops College. In 2006, he was a top scorer in school rugby across the country. He scored 286 points in 20 matches, including 28 tries. Even with these great scores, he was not chosen for the Western Province team for the 2006 Craven Week competition.
After high school, he joined the Western Province Academy. He played for the Western Province U19 team in 2007.
In 2008, he joined the UCT Ikey Tigers for the first ever Varsity Cup competition. He made a big impact right away. In his first match, he scored two tries after coming on as a substitute. He started the next seven matches and scored nine tries in total. This made him the top try scorer in the competition. He also scored seven points with his kicks.
He was also chosen for a training squad for the South African Under-20 team in 2008. However, he did not make the final team for the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship in Wales. Later in 2008, he played for the Western Province U21 team.
Playing for Bristol
Near the end of 2008, Turner moved to England. He joined the Premiership team Bristol. He played his first professional game for Bristol in the 2008–09 Anglo-Welsh Cup. He started as a wing and scored his first try for the club just three minutes into the game. He scored another try later, but Bristol lost the match. He played in all three of their matches in this competition.
He also made his debut in the English Premiership against Northampton Saints. He came on as a substitute and helped Bristol win their first Premiership game. He also played in other matches for Bristol. After Bristol was moved to a lower league, he played five more games and scored two tries. In total, he played eleven games for Bristol.
Playing for Southern Kings
On June 16, 2009, Mat Turner played for the new South African Super Rugby team, the Southern Kings. This was their very first match. They played against the British & Irish Lions during their 2009 tour to South Africa. The Kings lost the match 8–20.
Representing England Sevens
Mat Turner could play for England because his mother was English. He was chosen for the England sevens team in 2009. He quickly became a regular player for England. He played in 34 Sevens World Series tournaments between 2009 and 2013. During this time, he scored 92 tries.
In 2012, Turner was nominated for the IRB Sevens Player of the Year award. He was one of three finalists, but Tomasi Cama from New Zealand won the award.
Playing for Western Province
In 2015, Turner returned to South Africa. He joined the Stormers for their training before the 2015 Super Rugby season. He was not chosen for their final team. Instead, he played for Western Province in the 2015 Vodacom Cup. He played his first game in a South African domestic competition against the Boland Cavaliers. His team won 25–10.
Playing for Seattle Seawolves
In 2018, Turner played for the Seattle Seawolves in the first Major League Rugby season. He was named the "Alpha Back" in the final championship match. The Seattle Seawolves won the championship and took home the MLR shield.
Playing in Sri Lanka
In 2013 and 2014, Turner played for the Central Kings in Sri Lanka. He played in the Carlton International 7s tournament there.
Coaching Career
In August 2015, Mat Turner became the head coach of the Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team.
