3. Sam Matavesi – Navy
Having grown up in Cornwall, rugby and the Royal Navy came hand-in-hand for Able Rate (Supply Chain) Sam Matavesi. His father moved to Cornwall from Fiji, and brought up his family in Truro and Camborne. Sam soon joined up with the Navy, and is stationed at RNAS Culdrose on the Cornish Lizard Point.
During his time in the services, Matavesi enjoyed three seasons with Plymouth Albion in Devon, and later returned to his home county and signed with the Cornish Pirates. Matavesi has gone on to shine on rugby’s brightest stages, achieving his break with a short-term loan to Toulouse in 2019. This led to the versatile forward winning the 2019 Top 14 title, and earning himself a spot in the Fiji squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
This top-tier exposure led to Matavesi being promptly picked up by Northampton Saints, where he has become a predominant feature at hooker. The 31-year-old has now enjoyed four seasons at Franklin’s Gardens, having made 63 appearances and scoring nine tries.
Matavesi returns to the Navy each year for the inter-services competition, and has on four occassions battled against the Army for the Babcock Trophy at Twickenham Stadium. Despite playing hooker for Saints, Matavesi is the first choice number eight for the Royal Navy, and was named UK Armed Forces Sportsman of the Year award in 2020. Matavesi is looking to represent Fiji in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, this coming September, with hopes of an upcoming return to France.