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Alex Wootton
Date of birth (1994-07-07) 7 July 1994 (age 30)
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
Years Team Comps
2015–2016 Ireland 7s 1

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.

Early life

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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

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Munster

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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

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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

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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

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  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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