Brett Sinkinson
Encyclopedia
Brett David Sinkinson is a New Zealand
born rugby union
player who played for the Wales national rugby union team
. A flanker, he was known for his mobility and hard tackling. He never played for New Zealand.
After representing Wales it was discovered that he was ineligible to play for Wales when he revealed his grandfather Sydney Sinkinson was born in Oldham in England instead of Carmarthen
in Wales as had previously been indicated by him. The scandal that followed was termed "grannygate
". Sinkinson was barred from playing for Wales but later returned to the Wales team after legally qualifying through the residency rules.
Sinkinson now resides in his home country New Zealand with his wife Tracey and his two children.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
born rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who played for the Wales national rugby union team
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
. A flanker, he was known for his mobility and hard tackling. He never played for New Zealand.
After representing Wales it was discovered that he was ineligible to play for Wales when he revealed his grandfather Sydney Sinkinson was born in Oldham in England instead of Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
in Wales as had previously been indicated by him. The scandal that followed was termed "grannygate
Grannygate
Grannygate is the name given to two different sporting scandals regarding eligibility of players for international matches. The rugby union version of Grannygate occurred in Wales in March 2000. The rugby league version occurred in New Zealand in 2006....
". Sinkinson was barred from playing for Wales but later returned to the Wales team after legally qualifying through the residency rules.
Sinkinson now resides in his home country New Zealand with his wife Tracey and his two children.