Matt Poole facts for kids
| Birth name | Matthew David Poole | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 6 February 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 272 lb (123 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Roundhill College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Matthew David Poole, born on February 6, 1969, was a talented rugby union player. He played as a lock for the Leicester Tigers team. Matt played an amazing 223 games for them between 1988 and 1998. He even traveled with the England national team twice! However, he never played in an official international match for England.
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Matt Poole's Rugby Journey
Starting Out in Rugby
Matt Poole was born in Leicester, England. He grew up playing for the Leicester Tigers youth team. He even played for England's younger teams, like the England Colts and the first-ever England Under 21s team.
Matt played his very first game for the Leicester Tigers on October 18, 1988. This match was against Oxford University. That season, he played in five games. He also made his debut in the Courage League against Moseley.
Playing for Leicester and England
Matt became a regular player for the Tigers in the 1989-1990 season. He played in 24 games that year. Because of his great playing, he was chosen to go on a tour to Argentina with the England team in 1990. He played in three games during that tour. However, he did not play in the main international matches, so he didn't get an official "cap" for England.
Matt Poole and another famous lock, Martin Johnson, both started playing for Leicester in the same season. But they didn't play a game together until November 5, 1991. This match was against Cambridge University. After that, they became an amazing team! They played together 129 times, which is a record for two locks at the club.
On September 1, 1992, Matt scored a special try against Sheffield. This was Leicester's first-ever 5-point try. The value of a try had just been increased from 4 points to 5 points.
Matt played in many important cup finals for Leicester. He played in the Pilkington Cup Finals in 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997. He even scored a try in the 1996 final! His team won two of these finals and lost two. Matt was also part of the Leicester team that won the league title in 1995. He also played in the 1997 Heineken Cup Final, where Leicester lost to Brive.
Matt went on another tour with the England team in 1994. This time, they traveled to South Africa. But again, he was not chosen to play in the main international test matches.
Saying Goodbye to Rugby
Matt Poole's rugby career ended in 1998. He had to stop playing because of injuries to his ankle and pelvis. His very last game was on November 7, 1998. It was against Bath at Welford Road.
Matt holds a special record for Leicester Tigers. He wore the number "E" shirt more than any other player in the club's history. He wore that jersey 192 times!
In February 2009, readers of the Leicester Mercury newspaper voted for Matt Poole. They chose him to be part of the Leicester Tigers's Walk of Legends. He was honored alongside his long-time playing partner, Martin Johnson.
