‘most interesting man in rugby’
the head coach of Cornish Pirates, who had an injury crisis at hooker. A short-term fix became a permanent contract.
“I’m on an elitesports exemption from the Navy, which they usually give to people in the Olympics, and a lot of people worked very hard to fit me into the bracket of rugby,” Matavesi says. “Hopefully, I can show that you can get a career in the services, but that it is not a barrier to playing toplevel sport.”
His pride in representing the Navy did boil over when he was sent off in the 2018 Babcock Trophy match against the Army after an overenthusiastic tete-atete. “I just wanted to stand my ground, to show we were not backing down, but it was a bit silly to put the referee in that position,” he says about the incident. The year ended on a high, however, with a return to the Fiji team that beat France, five years after his last cap as a flanker. “That was all down to the help of Alan Paver and all the guys at Pirates,” Matavesi says. “I had not played hooker ever and they made me into an international. It shows what you can do with a bit of hard work and a bit of want.”
The following year, he headed to Fiji for the World Cup training camp and took the chance to connect with his father’s roots. “That hit home. Despite how proud a Cornishman I am, I am also a very proud Fijian.”
His World Cup experience was soured somewhat when his belongings were stolen from his car, including match balls that he had carefully smuggled and deflated after each match.
“There are some things that money can replace and other things it can’t,” Matavesi says. “I really wanted to give my boy the balls from the World Cup. That’s what upset me the most.”
Here, fate decided to smile on Matavesi again. When Northampton suffered a hooker injury crisis in December 2019, Matavesi was recommended to Boyd by Chris Stirling, then the Pirates director of rugby. He has barely looked back.
In an inconsistent season, Matavesi has been one of Northampton’s shining lights, although he starts on the bench against London Irish this evening.
“With who we have here, it is never going to be your jersey, but that’s your aim. I don’t know what’s around the corner, but I will just enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.”