Stan Wright (born 29 September 1978) is a retired

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player, who played in the

prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

position for

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

and

Stade Français Stade Français Paris (known commonly as Stade Français, ) is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French ...

Playing career

Stan's played for clubs such as the Marist Club in

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the largest settlement of the Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, created in 1989 from the former Whangarei City, Whangarei County and Hikurangi Town councils to admi ...

, and for Northland in the

Air New Zealand Cup An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

where he played alongside Fijian flyer, Rupeni Caucaunibuca. He was also part of the Auckland Blues squad for the

2006 Super 14 season The 2006 Super 14 season started on 10 February 2006. The Grand Final was held on 27 May 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, ...

, however, he was forced to withdraw due to injury. Wright joined Irish side

in December 2006 as an injury replacement for Will Green, after he was recommended to the club by Auckland scrum coach Mike Casey, who was a friend of the then

forwards coach, Mike Brewer. Wright proved himself to be a successful scrummager and eventually nailed himself down as the first choice prop for the club. The following season, Stanley helped

to their 2nd

Magners League The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...

title win, with a number of impressive performances in the front row, he was rewarded for this by being selected in the ' 07/08 League Dream Team', along with six other players from

. Wright won the IRUPA Sports 'Unsung Hero' award for his performances in the 2008-09 Magners League season. Stanley won the

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

with

, before moving on to French side

. He was extremely popular with the Leinster supporters and he earned the nickname 'Cookie Monster' because of his home nation, the

Coaching career

Stan was appointed Forwards coach for the amateur Irish Rugby team, Suttonians RFC, for the 2009–2010 season. In 2016, Stanley was hired as coach of the under 20's Cook Islands Rugby team.

Personal life

Stan's mother, Poila Wright (Mama Tuki) was awarded an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 2007. In 2011, Stan was the highest paid athlete from the Cook Islands.

Honours

Cups

Pro12 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...

Formerly known as Celtic League / Magners League **''

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

'' *

European Rugby Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pr ...

Formerly known as Heineken European Cup **''

'' **''

Personal Honours

Dream Team for the 07–08 season.

References

External links

NZ Rugby History profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Stan 1978 births Living people Cook Islanders Rugby union props Cook Island rugby union coaches Cook Island rugby union players Leinster Rugby players People from Rarotonga Ystradgynlais RFC players Cook Island expatriate rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in France Cook Island expatriate sportspeople in England Cook Island expatriate sportspeople in France Cook Islands international rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in England Cook Island expatriate sportspeople in Ireland Cook Island expatriate sportspeople in Wales Stade Français Paris players RC Narbonne players Oyonnax Rugby players