From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Matthew Ridge

Personal information
Full name	Matthew John Ridge
Date of birth	August 27, 1968
Place of birth	Rotorua, New Zealand
Height	1.81m
Weight	79kg
Position	Fullback
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (points)
1990-1996 1997-1998	Manly Sea Eagles Auckland Warriors	122 (1093) 37 (238)
Representative teams
	New Zealand Kiwis	- (-)
* Professional club appearances and points counted for domestic first grade only.

Matthew Ridge
Rugby union career
Position	Fullback
National team(s)
1989	New Zealand	0 (6 games)	(4)
correct as of 14 Oct, 1989.
Other Information
Occupation	Professional rugby union footballer Professional rugby league footballer Television presenter CEO
School  attended	Auckland Grammar
Spouse	Sally Ridge (divorced)

Matthew John Ridge (born August 27, 1968) is a New Zealand television presenter as well as a former All-Black, and rugby league captain for the Manly Sea Eagles, New Zealand Warriors and Kiwis.

He is now best known for his mischievous antics alongside his partner Marc Ellis in various TV shows like 'Game of Two Halves' and 'Sports Café'.

Contents 1 Background 2 Early rugby success 3 All Blacks 4 Rugby League with Manly 5 Rugby league in New Zealand 6 Television personality 7 Books 8 External Links

Born Matthew John Ridge in Rotorua on August 27,1969, he at first played soccer in under-13 grades, but by the time he finished his schooling at Auckland Grammar (having also done four years at Mt Albert Grammar), he was a regular selection in Auckland age-group rugby teams, and had been a member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools side in 1986.

In 1988, a few weeks before his 19th birthday, he made his first-class debut for the New Zealand Colts and picked up one late-season appearance for Auckland, where he made a good impression in a pressure match with Canterbury.

He became a key player in the Auckland side of the time which at a high point, and gained a reputation as a fearless player.

He was selected for the Al Blacks in 1989 for the British tour, along with a number of other new players. The team completed the 14-match tour unbeaten. Ridge played six of the lesser matches but was never in contention for the test team, as the full-back position belonged to John Gallagher (rugby player) who was playing exceptionally well. Despite his second-string status, he was regarded as a player who had fully justified his selection.

The form of John Gallagher (rugby player) as All Black full back (named world player of the year for 1989), meant frustration for Ridge who faced the prospect of several years before he could be the test pick. When legendary rugby league coach Graeme Lowe offered the chance to switch codes, he signed for the Manly Sea Eagles. Ironically, within a week of his signing, Gallagher announced that he had signed a million-dollar contract with an English club, and the All Blacks lost two world-class full-backs.

This was a time of several high-profile converts from rugby coming to the Australian league, and there was a great deal of doubt about how they would fare. Ridge did much better than most: his brash, cocky, confident character matched the ARL culture of the time, and he was able to adapt well to the game.

Ridge scored 1,093 points in 122 first grade games for Manly between 1990 & 1996 (32 tries, 477 goals, 11 Fg).

He has since captained the Kiwis. He scored 238 points in 37 first grade games for the New Zealand Warriors between 1997 & his retirement in 1999 (8 tries, 103 goals). At the time of his retrement he was the all-time top scorer for the New Zealand national side.

He is now best known for his mischievous antics alongside his partner Marc Ellis in various sports-related television shows like 'Game of Two Halves', 'Sports Café' and 'Marc & Matthew's Rocky Road to ...'; appearences in reality television shows, and gossip columns[1].

In 1988 he wrote an autobiography with Angus Gillies "Take No Prisoners" (Hodder Moa Beckett, 1998)

• Matthew Ridge at AllBlacks.com
• http://www.sportingcontacts.co.nz/profile.asp?pid=34