ALEX GOODE (Saracens and England)

WHEN you meet Matt you can’t just stand by, you have to roll up your sleeves and do what you can to help.

As well as inspirational and great company he is stubborn and bit of a perfectionist. He doesn’t want to just build the first centre of its kind in the country it has to be the absolute best. I remember he wanted a certain sort of lighting for the centre and, naturally, it was the most expensive, but he insisted he would get it by hook or by crook. And he did.

He wanted the seats, settees and the coffee table in the lounge area to be just right to create the right atmosphere and ambiance for the chilled sort of place that anybody would enjoy spending a couple of hours. And he has succeeded in that as well.

I’ve really enjoyed spending time up there and will definitely be calling in on my days off and out of season just to help in any way and shoot the breeze with whoever is there.. Manu Tuilagi lives around the corner and feels the same.

Matt takes on a big workload, he makes himself constantly available to those facing similar challenges and is the life and soul of a gathering – but what people don’t see is the 2-3 hours effort in the morning it takes for him to get up ready to face the day. He drives himself very hard and I would tell him to slow down occasionally but that wouldn’t be him.

There is an element of putting your own fortunate life in context whenever you meet him but actually the greatest thing I always take from Matt is simply his approach to life. As a sportsman who encounters ups and downs, it is always Matt’s sheer hard work and will to overcome all that inspires me most. He’s never ever beaten. He’s a remarkable bloke achieving remarkable things.