Matthew Clarkin
Matthew (Matt) Clarkin is an English born New Zealand rugby union player and son of Chele and Paul Clarkin who was known internationally as 'Mr Polo'. His elder brother is John-Paul Clarkin a professional polo player.
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| Birth name | Matthew Clarkin | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 4 July 1981 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cirencester, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (16.5 st) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Clarkin has played most of his professional rugby career at the top level in France and is captain of the Top 14 team Union Bordeaux Bègles.
He has been described as being a player that is able to orchestrate play, as well as having a strong work ethic and hitting the ball up into the opposition allowing space for the back line.[2]
Career
Clarkin arrived in France in July 2003, aged 22, to play for Bordeaux-based CABBG in the PROD2 league. In 2004 he moved to US Montauban where he played from 2004 to 2010, captaining the side in the 2009–10 Top 14 season. Montauban were liquidated at the end of the 2009–10 season due to financial problems and Clarkin signed a 2-year deal with the Pro D2 team Union Bordeaux Begles (UBB) in April 2010.
Under Clarkin's captaincy, UBB finished 5th in the 2010–11 Rugby Pro D2 season and went on to win the play-offs to gain promotion to the Top 14.
Clarkin finished up with UBB in June 2016. He is now officially retired from rugby, and is putting his time into his company 'Number 8 Promotions'.
References
- Rugby – Matthew Clarkin Club statistics. Itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved on 26 December 2018.
- Going forward: the Top 14's unsung heroes Archived 5 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Lerugby.co.uk (21 September 2009). Retrieved on 16 August 2011.