| Birth name | Matthew James Andrew Cooper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 10 October 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Gisborne, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (200 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St John's College, Hastings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Greg Cooper (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | CEO of Sport Waikato Television rugby commentator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Matthew James Andrew Cooper MNZM (born 10 October 1966) is a former New Zealand international rugby union player. He made his All Black test debut against Ireland on 6 June 1992, setting a then-world record of 23 points on test debut, with the last of his eight caps coming on 3 July 1994 against France.
Born in Gisborne on 10 October 1966, Cooper was educated at Napier Marist Brothers and St John's College Schools where he was a member of the 1st XV from 1982 to 1984. In 1984 he played for New Zealand secondary schools against Australia then toured with the team to Britain. He made his Hawke's Bay debut in 1985 as an 18-year-old.[2]
Chosen to play for the Otago Highlanders in the inaugural Super 12 series in 1996, Cooper soon proved his value with a couple of match-winning performances and that form saw him called up for the All Black tour to South Africa. On his return, Cooper topped 1000 points for Waikato. He continued to represent Waikato until 1999 and with 1604 points holds the union's scoring record. He also appeared for Waikato Chiefs 1997–99.[2]