Matt Perry toured Australia with the Lions in 2001 and a series of impressive displays in the warm-up saw him start all three Tests at full-back ahead of England team-mate Iain Balshaw.
Perry had booted eight points in the 83-6 victory over Queensland Presidents XV and went over for his only Lions try in the narrow 28-25 defeat to Australia ‘A’ – crossing the whitewash after being released by Mark Taylor, who had sucked in the Australian defence.
That earned him the No.15 jersey for the first Test, a memorable 29-13 triumph at The Gabba, and the 24-year-old retained his spot for the two battling defeats that followed.
Perry spent the entirety of his nine-year professional career playing for Bath – the club that father Brendan and grandfather Idris also represented – and scored ten tries in 36 England appearances before retiring from rugby in 2007 aged 30, due to a bulging disc in his back.
Career
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British & Irish Lions Fullback |
2001 - 2001 |
