Matt Toomua

Matt Toomua
Birth name Matthew P. Toomua
Date of birth (1990-01-02) 2 January 1990
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia
Height 182 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight 91 kg (14 st 5 lb)[1]
School Brisbane State High School[2]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half / Inside Centre
Current team Leicester Tigers
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2008–2016 Brumbies 88 (102)
2009 Western Province 4 (0)
2016–present Leicester Tigers 23 (58)
2008–present Total 115 (160)
Correct as of 27 May 2018
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013–present Australia 38 (41)
Correct as of 29 September 2018

Matthew P. Toomua /ˈtuːmuːə/ (born 2 January 1990)[3] is an Australian rugby union player who has played over 35 times for Australia since 2013. He plays for the Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby competition and his usual position is at fly-half or inside centre.

Early life

Toomua was born in Melbourne to a Samoan father and a New Zealand mother of European origin.[4] Toomua moved to Brisbane where he played his junior football with Logan City before attending Brisbane State High School. In 2006 he guided the Queensland II side to their maiden Australian National Schools Championship title, scoring all of his side's points in their 14–13 final win over NSW II in Sydney. Competing against the likes of older flyhalves Kurtley Beale (NSW) and Queensland's Quade Cooper, Toomua was selected in the Australia A side that defeated the Tongan Under 18s, 22–18. Two months later, he captained Queensland Red to the finals of the National Under 16 Championship in Sydney.

Career

Wallaby Matt Toomua and fans in 2014
Toomua in 2009

Toomua is a fly-half who headed to Canberra as a potential long-term playmaker prospect for the two-time Super Rugby champions. Toomua is a product of Brisbane State High School.

In July 2007 Toomua won his second Australian Schools Championship, guiding Queensland I to a come-from-behind 23–17 win over NSW I in Canberra. His performance during the tournament earned him the pivot's role for the Australian Schoolboys where he helped guide the side to wins over the England Under 18s (11–3), Samoan Schools (50–9) and a 23–17 win over New Zealand Schools in Sydney, the side's first win over their trans-Tasman rivals since 1997.

In 2013, the Brumbies selected Toomua at fly half.[5] In the Brumbies first game of the 2013 Super Rugby season, Lealiifano moved to inside centre;[6] and both Toomua and Lealiifano played the full 80 minutes to help the Brumbies defeat the Reds.[7] During the semi-final clash against the South African team: the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Toomua help set-up the match-winning try to outside-centre Tevita Kuridrani in the final minutes of the game, helping the Brumbies to win 26–23 which had also guided the team to the Grand Final match against the Chiefs.

After an outstanding Super Rugby season with the Brumbies in 2013, Toomua was selected in the Wallabies 2013 Rugby Championship Squad. On 18 August, he made his Test debut for the Wallabies at Sydney's ANZ Stadium facing the current World Champion All Blacks in the 1st Bledisloe Cup Test (of 2013). He became the first Wallaby debutant player to make his Test debut against the All Blacks in the Wallabies starting XV since Rod Kafer. He was on the field for 60 minutes before being substituted by Quade Cooper.

Following the Sydney Bledisloe Cup game loss, Ewen McKenzie stuck with him at fly-half for the second Bledisloe Cup Test at Westpac Stadium in the New Zealand national capital, Wellington. However, the Wallabies ended-up losing 16–27, and the All Blacks won the Bledisloe Cup (for 2013). The following that game Toomua was benched for the rest of the 2013 Rugby Championship and Quade Cooper claimed the No. 10 fly-half jersey.

On 19 October, Toomua was selected at inside centre for the third Bledisloe Cup clash at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. He scored a try at Test level in the game's second half. The Wallabies lost 33–41.

On the Wallabies Europe Spring-Tour, coach Ewen McKenzie selected him at inside centre for the clashes against England (where he scored the only try for the Wallabies in that game), Italy and Ireland. In the lead-up to the clash against Scotland, Toomua injured his hamstring at training which ruled him out of the rest of the Wallabies final two Spring Tour games.

On 15 November 2015 Leicester Tigers announced the signing of Toomua from the summer of 2016.[8] He made his debut for Leicester on 14 October 2016 in a 42–13 defeat to Glasgow Warriors, Toomua was sent to the sin bin after 13 minutes for a spear tackle.[9] Toomua then suffered a serious knee injury in the next game, his first game at Welford Road, which ruled him out for six months.[10]

In August 2018, it was announced that Toomua would return to his hometown to join the Melbourne Rebels after the 2018–19 Premiership Rugby season.[11]

Personal life

Toomua has been dating international cricket and soccer star Ellyse Perry. In August 2014 he proposed to her[12] and they married in December 2015.

Career statistics

As of 1 August 2018[13][14]
SeasonTeamGamesStartsSubMinsTriesConsPensDropsPointsYelRed
2008 Brumbies303180000000
2009 Brumbies9453230101500
2010 Brumbies75241530001500
2011 Brumbies6423210000000
2012 Brumbies3302100000000
2013 Brumbies18180140221001200
2014 Brumbies17170128472003920
2015 Brumbies1211181520001000
2016 Brumbies1313098933002120
Super Rugby88751357771770110240
2016–17Leicester00000000000
2017–18Leicester171701280410605800
Total1059213705721176116040

References

  1. 1 2 "Matt Toomua". Australian Rugby Union. 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Matt Toomua". Australian Rugby Union. 2014. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Matt Toomua". ESPN. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  4. ↑ Dutton, Chris (31 March 2012). "Toomua finally feels he's in tune". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Toomua taking baby steps in comeback". Grandstand Rugby Union. ABC. AAP. 17 February 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Brumbies down Reds". SA Rugby. 16 February 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Brumbies 24-6 Reds". South African Rugby Union. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Leicester Tigers sign Australia utility back Matt Toomua". The Guardian. 15 November 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "European Rugby Champions Cup: Glasgow Warriors 42-13 Leicester Tigers". BBC. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  10. ↑ "Leicester's Matt Toomua out for six months with serious knee injury". The Guardian. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "Toomua to call Melbourne home from 2019" (Press release). Melbourne Rebels. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Matt Toomua, Ellyse Perry ... and Nic White". smh.com.au. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Player Statistics". its rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Leicester Tigers". leicestertigers.com. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
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