Jimmy Gopperth
Encyclopedia
James 'Jimmy' Gopperth (born 29 June 1983 in New Plymouth
, New Zealand) is a rugby union
player who plays for Newcastle Falcons
in the Aviva Premiership. His position is first five-eighth and he played previously for the Hurricanes
and Blues in the Super 14 and the Junior All Blacks
. Gopperth has also played for Old Boys University
in the Wellington premier competition and also played with distinction for New Plymouth Boys' High School
at school level prior to moving to Wellington. Gopperth signed for current club, Newcastle Falcons
in the summer of 2009 on a three year deal with the Guinness Premiership
side, which he joined at the end of the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup
in the November.
and first played rugby for New Plymouth Boys' High School
, before having his first break in the game and playing for the Old Boys University
in the premier competition. Then, in 2004 at the age of 21, Gopperth signed for the then Super 12 team Hurricanes
.
when he made 12 appearances in the 2004/2005 Super 12 season. All of his appearances during that season came from starting the game and he managed to score an impressive 139 points, scoring 3 tries in the process.
Gopperth got a chance to finally show what he could do in the 2005/2006 season, in the newly formed Super 14
. He made 7 starts during the season, but made all in all 15 appearances during this season, in which he scored a fairly unimpressive 86, scoring a further 2 tries and racking up 637 minutes throughout.
During the 2006/2007 season Gopperth impressed for his club Wellington
, although was unimpressive for his region the Hurricanes
. In the Super 14
Gopperth managed to get 66 points in 13 appearances, still no-where near his opening season tally, but for Wellington
in the Air New Zealand Cup
he managed to get an impressive 121 points in just 10 games, mostly through the boot finally showing what he could do.
In his final season for the Hurricanes
Gopperth still could not reach his true form, only scoring 70 points in 12 games with a single try, but he impressed again in the Air New Zealand Cup
where he scored an overall haul of 147 points in 12 games.
and region Blues. During the 2008/2009 season Gopperth only managed to get 11 games and only starting 9 of them, but still managing to score an impressive 101 points with 4 tries included. Then, Gopperth managed to rack up 90 points in 10 games for North Harbour
in the Air New Zealand Cup
, where he added two tries to his tally.
side, Newcastle Falcons
on a three year deal. In his first season Gopperth made 22 appearances, scoring 2 tries and a massive haul of 219 points proving what an able replacement he was for Jonny Wilkinson
. Gopperth, also made an appearance for Newcastle Falcons
in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, not scoring any points, and made 7 appearances in the Amlin Challenge Cup scoring an impressive 74 points.
In the 2010/2011 season, Gopperth has so far made 9 appearances, starting 8 times, for the Newcastle Falcons
, scoring 87 points, with a singular try. Gopperth has also made 1 appearance in the Anglo-Welsh Cup where he has scored 8 points thanks to 2 penalties and a conversion.
and has only ever managed to make one appearance for the second string team the Junior All Blacks
. He has only ever made one appearance for the team, which was during the Pacific Nations Cup, which the Junior All Blacks
won, and Gopperth managed to score 6 points through, 2 penalty kicks.
New Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
, New Zealand) is a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays for Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
in the Aviva Premiership. His position is first five-eighth and he played previously for the Hurricanes
Hurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
and Blues in the Super 14 and the Junior All Blacks
Junior All Blacks
The Junior All Blacks are a New Zealand rugby union team. The Junior All Blacks are not an age grade side, but the second national team behind the New Zealand national rugby union team....
. Gopperth has also played for Old Boys University
Old Boys University
Old Boys University are a New Zealand rugby union club who play in Wellington Rugby Football Union's premier club rugby grade The Jubilee Cup. They were the first holders of the Hardham Cup in 1939 and won it most recently in 2009...
in the Wellington premier competition and also played with distinction for New Plymouth Boys' High School
New Plymouth Boys' High School
New Plymouth Boys' High School is a single-sex boys' state secondary school in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. It was founded in 1882 and celebrated its 125th Jubilee in 2007....
at school level prior to moving to Wellington. Gopperth signed for current club, Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
in the summer of 2009 on a three year deal with the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
side, which he joined at the end of the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
in the November.
Before the Hurricanes
Gopperth was born in New PlymouthNew Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
and first played rugby for New Plymouth Boys' High School
New Plymouth Boys' High School
New Plymouth Boys' High School is a single-sex boys' state secondary school in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. It was founded in 1882 and celebrated its 125th Jubilee in 2007....
, before having his first break in the game and playing for the Old Boys University
Old Boys University
Old Boys University are a New Zealand rugby union club who play in Wellington Rugby Football Union's premier club rugby grade The Jubilee Cup. They were the first holders of the Hardham Cup in 1939 and won it most recently in 2009...
in the premier competition. Then, in 2004 at the age of 21, Gopperth signed for the then Super 12 team Hurricanes
Hurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
.
Hurricanes (Wellington)
Gopperth made a good start to his career with the HurricanesHurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
when he made 12 appearances in the 2004/2005 Super 12 season. All of his appearances during that season came from starting the game and he managed to score an impressive 139 points, scoring 3 tries in the process.
Gopperth got a chance to finally show what he could do in the 2005/2006 season, in the newly formed Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
. He made 7 starts during the season, but made all in all 15 appearances during this season, in which he scored a fairly unimpressive 86, scoring a further 2 tries and racking up 637 minutes throughout.
During the 2006/2007 season Gopperth impressed for his club Wellington
Wellington Rugby Football Union
The Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand...
, although was unimpressive for his region the Hurricanes
Hurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
. In the Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
Gopperth managed to get 66 points in 13 appearances, still no-where near his opening season tally, but for Wellington
Wellington Rugby Football Union
The Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand...
in the Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
he managed to get an impressive 121 points in just 10 games, mostly through the boot finally showing what he could do.
In his final season for the Hurricanes
Hurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
Gopperth still could not reach his true form, only scoring 70 points in 12 games with a single try, but he impressed again in the Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
where he scored an overall haul of 147 points in 12 games.
Blues (North Harbour)
In 2008, Gopperth joined North HarbourNorth Harbour Rugby Union
The North Harbour Rugby Union , commonly referred to colloquially as North Harbour or simply Harbour, is a provincial rugby team which competes in the ITM Cup , the successor to the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship .-Area:Harbour Rugby encompasses a...
and region Blues. During the 2008/2009 season Gopperth only managed to get 11 games and only starting 9 of them, but still managing to score an impressive 101 points with 4 tries included. Then, Gopperth managed to rack up 90 points in 10 games for North Harbour
North Harbour Rugby Union
The North Harbour Rugby Union , commonly referred to colloquially as North Harbour or simply Harbour, is a provincial rugby team which competes in the ITM Cup , the successor to the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship .-Area:Harbour Rugby encompasses a...
in the Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
, where he added two tries to his tally.
Newcastle Falcons
Then in 2009, only a season after joining the Blues, Gopperth joined, the then Guinness PremiershipGuinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
side, Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
on a three year deal. In his first season Gopperth made 22 appearances, scoring 2 tries and a massive haul of 219 points proving what an able replacement he was for Jonny Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
. Gopperth, also made an appearance for Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, not scoring any points, and made 7 appearances in the Amlin Challenge Cup scoring an impressive 74 points.
In the 2010/2011 season, Gopperth has so far made 9 appearances, starting 8 times, for the Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
, scoring 87 points, with a singular try. Gopperth has also made 1 appearance in the Anglo-Welsh Cup where he has scored 8 points thanks to 2 penalties and a conversion.
Junior All Blacks
Gopperth has never played for his national team, the New ZealandAll Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
and has only ever managed to make one appearance for the second string team the Junior All Blacks
Junior All Blacks
The Junior All Blacks are a New Zealand rugby union team. The Junior All Blacks are not an age grade side, but the second national team behind the New Zealand national rugby union team....
. He has only ever made one appearance for the team, which was during the Pacific Nations Cup, which the Junior All Blacks
Junior All Blacks
The Junior All Blacks are a New Zealand rugby union team. The Junior All Blacks are not an age grade side, but the second national team behind the New Zealand national rugby union team....
won, and Gopperth managed to score 6 points through, 2 penalty kicks.