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Matthew James Sutherland Dawson (born 31 October 1972) is an English rugby union footballer who plays scrum-half for Wasps having played most of his career for Northampton Saints. His international career he toured with the British Lions twice and was part of England's 2003 World Cup winning side. His international career now appears to be over and he is persuing a media career.
Dawson made his international debut for England in 1995, but would have to fight with Andy Gomarsall, Austin Healey but mostly Kyran Bracken for the England no 9 shirt.
Dawson went on the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa as third-choice scrum-half behind Rob Howley and Austin Healey but injury to Howley and some good performances saw him make the starting line-up. In the first test with ten minutes to go, Dawson broke from the base of a scrum and threw an overhead dummy that checked the four Springboks allowing him to scamper in for the winning try. That victory was the start of a 2-1 series win.
In 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, Dawson went as second-choice scrum-half behind Howley. Howley played in the first two tests but was injured for the third, where Dawson played. Controversially however, Dawson was one of the mid-week side opposed to the actions of coach Graham Henry and criticised Henry publicly for his criticism, although this did not cause as much stir as Healey's similar comments.
Dawson became an integral part of the England side, and was part of the team that won the 2003 Six Nations Grand Slam and World Cup.
In 2004 he moved from Northampton to Wasps in order to live in London where he could better persue a media career. In the autumn he failed to turn up to an England training camp due to a previously-arranged commitment to appear on A Question of Sport, resulting in him being dropped from the England squad for the 2003 autumn internationals. A return for the 2005 Six Nations and Lions Tour is possible.
External links
- Planet-Rugby stats (http://www.planet-rugby.com/stats/players/player_details.phtml/p_r/ENG?playerCode=EDA20&search_text=Matt%20Dawson&navCode=&tm1Code=%&setCode=archive)
- Sporting heroes 1 (http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=498) 2 (http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=1445) 3 (http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=1855)
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