Matt Dawson facts for kids
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Matthew James Sutherland Dawson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 October 1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Birkenhead, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 13.10 st (83.2 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | RGS High Wycombe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Matthew James Sutherland Dawson, also known as Matt Dawson, is a famous English retired rugby union player. He was born on October 31, 1972. Matt played as a scrum-half for clubs like Northampton Saints and London Wasps.
He was a key part of the England squad that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Matt also toured with the British & Irish Lions three times. He played 77 games for England, captaining the team nine times. He was known for his quick "sniping runs" and ability to score tries from penalties. Sometimes, he even kicked goals for his team.
After retiring from rugby, Matt became a well-known TV personality. He was a team captain on the sports quiz show A Question of Sport. He also works as a commentator and presenter for rugby on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Contents
Matt Dawson's Rugby Journey
Playing for Clubs
Matt Dawson joined Northampton Saints in 1991 after finishing school. He was one of the last players to start his career before rugby became a professional sport in 1995. Before rugby went professional, he worked as a security guard and coached at a school.
At Northampton, he formed a strong partnership with Paul Grayson. They helped the team win the Heineken Cup in 2000. He also helped Northampton reach the final of the Anglo-Welsh Cup three times. Fans even voted him and Grayson into the club's all-time dream team.
In 2004, Matt moved to London Wasps. In his first season with Wasps, they won the Premiership title.
Matt announced his retirement from rugby on April 7, 2006. His last Premiership game was on May 14, 2006.
Playing for England and the Lions
In 1993, Matt was part of the England Sevens team. They won the first-ever Rugby World Cup Sevens in Scotland. Matt and his teammate Lawrence Dallaglio were the first players to win both the 15-a-side and 7-a-side World Cups.
Matt made his first appearance for England in December 1995 against Western Samoa. He had to compete with other talented scrum-halves for his spot.
He joined the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa as a third-choice scrum-half. However, due to an injury to another player and his great performances, Matt earned a starting spot. In the first test, he scored a winning try with a clever move. This helped the Lions win the series 2–1.
Matt first captained England in 1998. He became the main scrum-half for the 1999 Rugby World Cup. He scored England's first try of the tournament in their opening match against Italy. He also captained England in the 2000 Six Nations Championship.
In the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, Matt was the second-choice scrum-half. He played in the third test after the first-choice player was injured. He helped the Lions win a close match against the Brumbies by converting a try in extra time.
Matt's career almost ended in 2002 due to a neck injury. But he recovered and became a vital part of the England team. He earned his 50th cap against Ireland on the same day England won the 2003 Six Nations Grand Slam.
Later that year, he was a crucial player in England's World Cup victory. In the final against Australia, with less than a minute left in extra time, he made a brilliant run. From the next play, he passed the ball to Jonny Wilkinson for the winning drop goal.
In 2005, Matt returned to the England team and was selected for the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.
Matt Dawson's Media Career
After retiring from rugby, Matt Dawson became a familiar face on television.
In 2004, he joined the popular BBC TV quiz show A Question of Sport. He became a regular team captain on the show.
In September 2006, he won the Celebrity MasterChef cooking competition.
He also took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2006. Partnered with Lilia Kopylova, he finished in second place. He returned to the show in 2008 for a special Sport Relief episode, also finishing second.
Since January 2007, Matt has been a rugby commentator for BBC Radio Five Live. He covers England's Six Nations Championship games and the Rugby World Cup. He also hosts a weekly rugby show on 5-Live.
In 2008, he co-hosted Mitch and Matt's Big Fish, a show about seafood. In 2010, he hosted Monster Munchies, where teams made giant versions of local foods. In 2023, he was a contestant on Richard Osman's House of Games.
Charitable Work
Matt Dawson is involved with several charities.
He was the 2013 President of Sparks, a children's medical research charity. This charity works to ensure babies are born and stay healthy. In 2015, he led a 150-mile charity bike ride for Sparks.
He is an Honorary President of the Wooden Spoon rugby charity. This charity helps disadvantaged children and young people in Britain and Ireland. He also supported a men's health charity to raise awareness.
Matt has supported the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) since 2004. He became a UNICEF UK ambassador in 2009. In June 2009, he visited UNICEF programs in South Africa that focus on education, shelter, and health.
He completed the 2007 London Marathon to raise money for charity.
- He is a Patron of The National Hospital Development Foundation (NHDF).
- He is a Patron of Beating Bowel Cancer, a charity that raises awareness and supports patients with bowel cancer.
Personal Life
Matt Dawson was born in Birkenhead but grew up in Buckinghamshire. He went to the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe. In school, he was good at cricket and football before choosing to focus on rugby.
He was married to Carolin Hauskeller, and they have two sons. They announced their separation in September 2020. Matt is a fan of Everton F.C., a football club.
In 2004, Matt published his autobiography called Nine Lives.
In 2016, Matt shared that his family went through a difficult time when his two-year-old son battled meningitis. In 2017, he joined a project to raise awareness about the dangers of ticks and tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease, which he had contracted.
See also
In Spanish: Matt Dawson para niños
- List of top English points scorers and try scorers
