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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Matthew John Ridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1968-08-27)27 August 1968 (age 57) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (14 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Matthew John Ridge (born 27 August 1968) is a New Zealand television presenter, and a formerrugby union andrugby league footballer.
A fullback in both codes, Ridge played rugby union forAuckland and became anAll Black, but never won an international cap. He turned professional in 1990 with theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles of theNew South Wales Rugby League, and was one of two Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to sign with theSuper League which led to him winning the1996 ARL Premiership.[5] He later captained theAuckland Warriors andNew Zealand national team (the Kiwis).[2] An accurate goal-kicker, he set several scoring records in rugby league.
He is now best known for his work in television alongside his partnerMarc Ellis in shows includingGame of Two Halves andMarc & Matthew's Rocky Road to….
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Despite never having played a game of rugby league in his life, Ridge was signed by theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles and their Kiwi coachGraham Lowe to play in theNew South Wales Rugby League'sWinfield Cup competition from mid-1990 (according to Ridge in a 2024 podcast, he signed forAU$35,000 for his first half year and that would increase to $60,000 from 1991 while getting $2,000 for a win and $1,000 for a loss. At the time he was only on $15 a day and described himself as "poor" and openly said he switched codes for the money).[6] Ridge made his debut at fullback for the Sea Eagles in their Round 10 clash withCronulla at Manly's home ground,Brookvale Oval. He became the team's first choice goal kicker ahead of captain and dual rugby internationalMichael O'Connor and part-time kickerMal Cochrane when he kicked 6/7 in his first game helping 10th placed Manly to a 24–8 win over the third-placedCronulla Sharks. Ridge ended the 1990 season as Manly's leading scorer with 94 points (2 tries, 43/57 goals) in 11 games.[7]
Just six games into his rugby league career, Ridge played his first test forNew Zealand against thetouringGreat Britain Lions.[2] He made his test debut in the 2nd test played at theMount Smart Stadium in Auckland, displacing Manly team mateDarrell Williams in the No.1 jumper (Williams was moved to the centres). Although the Kiwis lost the match 14–16 and subsequently the series, Ridge established himself as the Kiwis first choice kicker whenever he played, kicking 5/8 on debut. He would kick another 6/7 in the 3rd and last test inChristchurch as the Kiwis salvaged some pride with a 21–18 win.
Despite good form for Manly in1991, Ridge missed selection for the mid-seasonTrans-Tasman Test series againstAustralia due to a dispute over compensation between clubs and theNew Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) which also ruled outDaryl Halligan,John Schuster andKurt Sherlock.[8]
Ridge's 'defection' from rugby union to rugby league was the subject of a TV documentary,In a Different League. It was hosted and narrated by his friend and former teammateJohn Kirwan who himself switched to league with theAuckland Warriors in 1995. The documentary, broadcast in 1991, showed Ridge's early days with Manly and his introduction to test football with the New Zealand team, as well as the reaction when All Blacks first choice fullbackJohn Gallagher also switched to league a week after Ridge when he signed for famousEnglish clubLeeds.[9]
After an injury-interrupted1992 season when Ridge regained his place as the Kiwis' fullback for the two tests against thetouring Great Britain team, the1993 season started solidly. However a serious knee injury againstBalmain in Round 10 of the season would rule him out until 1994. This would also see him miss selection in themid-season tests againstAustralia as well as the Kiwis end of seasontour of Great Britain and France.
Ridge returned to form in1994, playing 23 games for Manly and scoring 234 points (5 tries, 106/132 goals) for the season. He also regained the Kiwi #1 jumper when he was selected for the two tests againstPapua New Guinea in October.[10]
Ridge played and kicked goals in each of the1995 Trans-Tasman Test series' three games against Australia, though the Kiwis lost the series 0–3 (he kicked 7/8 during the series, only missing his first kick in the 3rd test).[citation needed]
Ridge finished the1995 ARL season as the league's top point-scorer with a club record 257 points (11 tries, 106 goals and 1 field goal), breakingGraham Eadie's record of 242 points. At the end of the season he played for the Sea Eagles at fullback in their 4–17 Grand final loss against theSydney Bulldogs. Ridge captained the New Zealand team at the1995 Rugby League World Cup in England and Wales. The Kiwis finished in third place, losing a hard-fought semi-final 20–30 to Australia after extra-time inHuddersfield.[citation needed]
In 1996, Ridge a prominent supporter ofSuper League in thedispute which split the sport, sat out nine weeks of the season when the new competition was put on hold.[11] However, Manly won the ARL Grand Final, defeating the Dragons, with Ridge playing a major part. In 1997, Ridge moved to theAuckland Warriors who had switched to the Super League during theSuper League war.
In total, Ridge scored 1,093 points in 122 first grade games for Manly between 1990 and 1996 (32 tries, 477/599 goals @ 79.63%, 11 Fg[citation needed]), putting him then third on the all-time Sea Eagles point scorers list behind fullbacksBob Batty and Graham Eadie. Ridge's total currently sees him in fourth place. Along the way, he set the Sea Eagles' records for single season scoring (257 points in 1995 from 11 tries, 106 goals and 1 field goal), and points in a match – 30 points (2 tries, 11 goals) againstWestern Suburbs in 1996.
Ridge spent the1997 Super League season as captain of the Warriors, though injuries kept him to just 9 games. He also captained New Zealand in a Super League test match against Australia in 1997.[citation needed]
In 1998 he wrote an autobiography with Angus Gillies,Take No Prisoners, published by Hodder Moa Beckett. He continued as captain of the Warriors in the1998 NRL season and the first half of the Warriors'1999 season. However, in the 1999 season he was sent off and suspended three times, missing twelve weeks, and he retired after the season.[citation needed]
In total he scored 238 points in 37 first grade games for theNew Zealand Warriors between 1997 and his retirement in 1999 (8 tries, 103 goals). At the time of his retirement he was the all-time top scorer in international matches for theNew Zealand national rugby league team with 168 points (6 tries, 71 goals) from 25 test appearances.
In 2002, Matthew Ridge was chosen to host the original New Zealand version of television game showThe Chair which first broadcast on ABC in January 2002 in the United States hosted by former tennis championJohn McEnroe.[12]
Ridge later became a television presenter, working with his partnerMarc Ellis in various sports-related shows like 'Game of Two Halves', and 'Marc & Matthew's Rocky Road to ...'.[13] In 2021 he presented a TV seriesDesigning Dreams on six New Zealand architects:Roger Walker, Pip Cheshire, Julie Stout, Nicholas Dalton, Anna Maria Chin and Michael O'Sullivan.[14][15]
He was involved in a car accident in 2009, fracturing his pelvis and hip.[16]
Ridge's first wife wasSally Ridge, an interior designer and television presenter for TVNZ's Homefront. In November 2010, Ridge and his then-partnerCarly Binding had a son, London Luca Ridge.[17] In December 2017, Ridge and his second wife Chloe Alexa Liggins also had a son.[18]
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