| Birth name | Mathew Berquist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1983-05-11)11 May 1983 (age 41) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Waipukurau, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 88 kg (13 st 12 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Otago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Rugby player | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Matt Berquist (born 11 May 1983 inWaipukurau, New Zealand) is arugby union player who plays atfly-half for Benetton Rugby Treviso in the Rabodirect Pro12.
Berquist attended theUniversity of Otago and representedOtago in 2003 and 2004.
In 2005, he transferred toHawke's Bay where he would blossom as a player, helping the Magpies turnaround from perennial struggles toAir New Zealand Cup semi-finalists in 2008 and 2009. During this time, Berquist earned a reputation as one of the best goal-kickers in the competition, finishing as the Cup's leading scorer in 2009.
For the2010 ITM Cup, Berquist transferred toAuckland. He again topped 100 points in the competition, including finally scoring his first provincial try in his 8th season in the competition.
Berquist was initially a member of theHighlanders in 2004 while still playing for Otago, but he failed to see action in a single game.
Berquist's strong performances for Hawke's Bay earned him aSuper 14 contract with theHighlanders for the2009 season. After starting the season as a bench player, he started 6 of the final 7 matches of the season at his preferred position offly-half. He shared goal-kicking duties withDaniel Bowden and finished the season with 49 points, including his first try in Super Rugby.
For2010, Berquist faced increased competition for the starting fly-half position with the Highlanders fromMichael Hobbs andRobbie Robinson, although he still managed to match his 2009 total with 6 starts. His goal-kicking opportunities decreased from 2009 due to the emergence ofIsrael Dagg as one of the top goal-kickers in Super 14.
In2011, Berquist was back up forDan Carter at theCrusaders.
Berquist signed forLeinster Rugby for the 2011–12Pro12 season. He was to play back up toJohnny Sexton. He spent almost his entire first season injured which allowedIan Madigan to emerge in his absence.[1] His contract was not renewed after his first season.[2]
He joinedBiarritz in the summer of 2012[3][4] but similarly struggled to get any game action. Berquist joinedBenetton Treviso in the summer of 2013.