Alex Wootton

Alex Wootton (born 7 July 1994) is an Irish rugby union player for Connacht in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. He plays primarily as a wing, but can also play as a fullback.

Alex Wootton
Date of birth (1994-07-07) 7 July 1994
Place of birthPrestbury, England
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight97 kg (15.3 st; 214 lb)
SchoolSedbergh School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, Fullback
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Garryowen ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016–2021 Munster 39 (65)
2020–2021 → Connacht (loan) 22 (55)
2021–2023 Connacht 18 (35)
Correct as of 21 January 2023
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013–2014 Ireland U20 7 (5)
Correct as of 24 June 2013
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2015–2016 Ireland 7s 1

Early life

Wootton was born in Prestbury, England, though he qualified for Ireland through his father, who was from County Down, Northern Ireland.[1] He began playing rugby aged 7 and moved to Sedbergh School aged 12. Wootton joined the Northampton Saints academy ahead of the 2012–13 season.

Professional career

Munster

By the summer of 2013, Wootton had moved to Munster and joined their academy.[2] Wootton made his competitive debut for Munster on 24 September 2016, when he came on as a substitute against Edinburgh in a 2016–17 Pro12 fixture.[3] Wootton made his first start for Munster on 1 October 2016 in the Pro12 fixture against Zebre.[4] On 26 November 2016, Wootton scored his first try for Munster in the sides 46–3 win against Benetton at Thomond Park.[5] On 16 March 2017, it was announced that Wootton had signed a two-year contract extension with Munster.[6] In the final of the 2016–17 British and Irish Cup, which was held in Irish Independent Park, Cork on 21 April 2017, Wootton scored a sensational solo try and helped Munster A defeat their English RFU Championship opponents Jersey Reds 29–28 to claim their second title in the tournament.[7][8]

Wootton scored four tries in Munster's 2017–18 Pro14 fixture against South African side Cheetahs on 9 September 2017, helping the province to a 51–18 win in Thomond Park and earning the Man-of-the-Match award for his performance.[9] In doing so, Wootton equalled the United Rugby Championship record for most tries scored in a single game.[10] He scored two tries in Munster's 36–19 win against Zebre on 26 November 2017.[11] Wootton made his European Rugby Champions Cup debut on 9 December 2017, starting in the Pool 4 fixture against Leicester Tigers in Thomond Park.[12] In his first appearance of the 2018–19 season on 29 September 2018, Wootton scored a try in Munster's 64–7 win against Ulster in round 5 of the 2018–19 Pro14.[13] He signed a two-year contract extension with Munster in December 2018 for the 2019–2021 seasons.[14]

Connacht

Wootton joined Connacht on loan for the 2020–21 season,[15] and made his debut for the province in their 26–20 win against Ulster on 23 August 2020.[16] Wootton joined Connacht on a permanent basis from the 2021–22 season.[17] Following a strong season in the Championship in which he was joint top try-scorer with 9 tries, Wootton was named to the 2020–21 Pro14 Dream Team.[18][19] Wootton will retire at the end of the 2022–23 season.[20]

Ireland

Wootton played for the Ireland national rugby sevens team during the 2016 Men's Rugby Sevens Final Olympic Qualification Tournament. Ireland finished first in their group with three wins, including a 27–21 win over World Series core team Samoa. However, Ireland lost 12–7 in their quarter-final against Spain and failed to qualify for the Olympics.[21]

References
  1. "Wootton sets sights on Ireland dream". Irish Independent. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  2. "The Future is Bright: Alex Wootton (third year academy)". Irish Independent. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  3. "Bonus Point Win Bagged In Thomond". Munster Rugby. 24 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  4. "Try Fest In Thomond". Munster Rugby. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  5. "Munster Topple Treviso In Claiming Top Spot". Munster Rugby. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  6. "Latest Contract Signings". Munster Rugby. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  7. "Munster A Claim B&I Cup Title After Cork Rollercoaster". Munster Rugby. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  8. "Watch: Munster Winger Scores Extraordinary Solo Try As They Win British & Irish Cup". Balls. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  9. "Munster Tame Cheetahs With Eight-Try Rout". Munster Rugby. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  10. "Wootton Weighs In With Four Tries As Munster Dominate Cheetahs". Irish Rugby. 9 September 2017. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  11. "Bonus-Point Win For Munster In Zebre". Munster Rugby. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  12. "Bonus-Point Win For Munster Over Tigers". Munster Rugby. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  13. "Report | Record PRO14 Win For Munster Over Ulster". Munster Rugby. 29 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  14. "12 Munster Players Sign Contract Extensions". Munster Rugby. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  15. "Player Update | Alex Wootton". Munster Rugby. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  16. "Friend's impressive Connacht notch deserved bonus-point win over Ulster". The42. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  17. "Permanent move for Wootton among 21 new contracts announced by Connacht". The42. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  18. "The Media Votes are in - Who made the Guinness PRO14 Dream Team?". Pro14 rugby. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  19. "PRO14 Awards: Three Players win Top-Try Scorer Title". Pro 14. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  20. "Alex Wootton announces retirement". Connacht Rugby. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  21. "Eddy: Sevens investment is crucial to be competitive". Irish Independent. 23 June 2016.
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