Perry Freshwater
Encyclopedia
Perry Thomas Freshwater is an English
rugby union
footballer. He is a loosehead prop and occasional hooker.
He started playing rugby union as a five year old for the Wellington club and later played for New Zealand Schoolboys
against Welsh
Schoolboys in Christchurch
in 1990. He also played for the New Zealand U19
and New Zealand U21
teams before deciding to spend a year in England playing for Leicester Tigers
.
in 1995 and went on to make over 130 appearances for the Tigers, many of them off the bench.
Freshwater was an unused replacement in the 2001 Heineken Cup Final
, and was a used replacement against Munster
in the 2002 Heineken Cup Final
.
The presence of England international Graham Rowntree
prevented Freshwater from establishing himself properly in the Tigers' team, and eventually in the summer of 2003 he moved to France to further his career at USA Perpignan
. In his first season with the club, he was in the Perpignan team that lost to Stade Français in the 2004 Top 14 final. With USAP he won the 2008-09 French Championship, against ASM Clermont Auvergne
.
through his Plaistow
-born father (he also had met the three year residency requirement). In 2003, he received his first England A cap when he played against France A
in Perpignan
. Freshwater went with the England A team to Canada for the 2005 Churchill Cup
and became Vice-Captain. The following year he was made Captain of the side against Italy A
.
He made his international debut from the replacements bench during the 40-3 victory over Samoa
in November 2005. He won a further two caps
during the 2006 Six Nations
, against Scotland
and Ireland
.
Freshwater played in three games of the 2007 Six Nations
, and gained selection for the England World Cup Squad
. Freshwater played in two group games of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
footballer. He is a loosehead prop and occasional hooker.
He started playing rugby union as a five year old for the Wellington club and later played for New Zealand Schoolboys
New Zealand national schoolboy rugby union team
The New Zealand Schoolboys rugby union team is composed of secondary school students that aims to help them achieve higher honours. New Zealand Schoolboys brings players on to the international scene early. Many of the players go on to play for other international teams and some have gone on to...
against Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Schoolboys in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
in 1990. He also played for the New Zealand U19
New Zealand national under-19 rugby union team
The New Zealand Under 19's rugby team was a team for players aged under 19 as a platform to the All Blacks. The New Zealand Under 19's have joined forces with the New Zealand Under 21's to make the new team New Zealand Under 20's for the all new IRB Junior World Championship, which commenced in...
and New Zealand U21
New Zealand national under-21 rugby union team
The New Zealand Under 21's rugby union team is for players aged under 21 as a platform for the All Blacks. The New Zealand Under 21's have joined forces with the New Zealand Under 19's to make the new team New Zealand Under 20's for the all new IRB Junior World Championship...
teams before deciding to spend a year in England playing for Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
.
Club career
He made his debut against NottinghamNottingham R.F.C.
Nottingham Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based in Nottingham, England. The club's first team currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English Rugby....
in 1995 and went on to make over 130 appearances for the Tigers, many of them off the bench.
Freshwater was an unused replacement in the 2001 Heineken Cup Final
2001 Heineken Cup Final
The 2001 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2000–01 Heineken Cup, the sixth season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 19 May 2001 at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The match was contested by Stade Français of France and Leicester Tigers of England...
, and was a used replacement against Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
in the 2002 Heineken Cup Final
2002 Heineken Cup Final
The 2002 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2001–02 Heineken Cup, the seventh season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 25 May 2002 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The match was contested by the Leicester Tigers of England and Munster of Ireland...
.
The presence of England international Graham Rowntree
Graham Rowntree
Graham Christopher Rowntree is a former English rugby union player. He played loosehead prop for Leicester Tigers and England. He was capped 54 times for England, despite having to compete for his position with the world's second most capped player, Jason Leonard.Rowntree was born in...
prevented Freshwater from establishing himself properly in the Tigers' team, and eventually in the summer of 2003 he moved to France to further his career at USA Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
. In his first season with the club, he was in the Perpignan team that lost to Stade Français in the 2004 Top 14 final. With USAP he won the 2008-09 French Championship, against ASM Clermont Auvergne
ASM Clermont Auvergne
Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne are a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system, ASMCA are the were the 2010 France Top 14 Champions. It is the rugby section of the multi-sport club...
.
International career
He qualified for EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
through his Plaistow
Plaistow, Newham
Plaistow is a place in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It formed part of the County Borough of West Ham in Essex until 1965.Plaistow is a mainly residential area, including several council estates; the main road is the A112 - Plaistow Road, High Street, Broadway, Greengate Street and...
-born father (he also had met the three year residency requirement). In 2003, he received his first England A cap when he played against France A
France A national rugby union team
The France A national rugby union team, known previously as France XV national rugby union team and France B national rugby union team, are the second national rugby union team behind the French national side.-History:...
in Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
. Freshwater went with the England A team to Canada for the 2005 Churchill Cup
2005 Churchill Cup
The 2005 Churchill Cup was held between 14 June and 21 June 2005 in Edmonton, Canada. It was the third edition of the Churchill Cup competition...
and became Vice-Captain. The following year he was made Captain of the side against Italy A
Italy A national rugby union team
The Italy A national rugby union team are the second national rugby union team in Italy after the national side. They compete every year in the IRB Nations Cup.-Fixtures:IRB Nations Cup 2010...
.
He made his international debut from the replacements bench during the 40-3 victory over Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
in November 2005. He won a further two caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
during the 2006 Six Nations
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
, against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
.
Freshwater played in three games of the 2007 Six Nations
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, and gained selection for the England World Cup Squad
2007 Rugby World Cup squads
This article lists the official squads for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Each of the twenty nations was required to confirm their 30-man squad by 14 August...
. Freshwater played in two group games of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.