Big Ben inspired by injured mate
New Canterbury lock Ben Matwijow says a former Kiwi team-mate who suffered a serious neck injury in a Sydney club match remains his rugby inspiration.
Matwijow, who was once a member of the Western Force Super Rugby franchise’s wider training group, played with Seti Tafua at Sydney club Northern Suburbs and worked with him at the same accountancy firm.
Tafua, a former Wellington under-20 representative, fractured a vertebrae in his neck in a ruck in June 2012 and endured a six-hour operation. Matwijow, who said the experience was ‘‘quite traumatic’’, was often at his mate’s hospital bedside.
The pair have remained great friends, even though Matwijow was, till now, domiciled in Sydney while Tafua is back living in Wellington.
‘‘I saw him last week when we played in Wellington and he’s already booked a couple of trips down [to Christchurch],’’ Matwijow said.
‘‘He’s back walking now, on crutches, which is fantastic... he’s bloody inspiring.
‘‘He didn’t have a lot of family in Sydney. I became quite close to him, we worked together and obviously played rugby together. I see him as something like a brother to me. As soon as it happened to him, I knew I had to do my best efforts to look after him as best I could. I’m sure most of the time we sat there and barely spoke to each other, but just for him to know I was there, was good.’’
Matwijow said his friend’s strength was ‘‘unbelievable’’.
‘‘It’s something I embrace every day and I’m thankful for just having the ability to play rugby at whatever level that might be.’’
Matwijow, whose grandfather immigrated to New South Wales from the Ukraine, grew up in Nelson Bay, an idyllic resort north of Newcastle. He was a New South Wales Country junior representative before shifting to Sydney to attend Westfield Sports High.
The lock or blindside flanker, who played colts rugby at Eastwood, but joined Northern Suburbs in the senior grade ranks. At 1.97m (six foot six) he was always destined for the second row. ‘‘My uncles, Ray Lees and Warren Lees, played first grade for Manly. That’s where I get my height from, they were six [foot] 10 and six-eight.’’
In 2013, he packed his bags for Perth to join the Western Force, but didn’t make a Super Rugby appearance. ‘‘I was lucky enough to get a run against the British and Irish Lions, which was really a great opportunity.’’
Matwijow, 25, returned to Sydney and played last year for New South Wales Country in Australia’s new national competition. He also linked again with Northern Suburbs and was proud to ‘‘play my 100th first grade came just before I came over here’’.
He’s taken several months leave to try his hand at New Zealand’s national provincial championship with Canterbury and is flatting with All Blacks lock Dom Bird and ‘‘picking his brain at home’’.