JOSH of two says that Newcastle’s ambition to be a real force in English rugby was one of the main factors in persuading him to move his family from one side of the country to the other.
The well-travelled Fijian international has made the North-east the latest destination in a career that has seen him win promotion to the Premiership with Exeter and taken in spells at Racing 92, Worcester and more recently the Ospreys.
“Niki Goneva texted me out of the blue and said, ‘do you want to come to Newcastle? I think Dean Richards wants to sign you’, and it all happened pretty quickly from there. Dean rang me up 20 minutes later and I met him and the rest is history,” Matavesi told TRP.
“It was a big thing for me to know that the club was moving forward, I didn’t want to sign for a club that was just happy to survive. I wanted to give myself a challenge and go to a club that was ambitious.
“People like Toby Flood and Maxime Mermoz are used to being in winning environments – and with those types of signings and what the guys here showed last season, expectations have been lifted.
Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin July 23, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin July 23, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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