Melani Matavao Explained

Melani Matavao
Birth Date:19 November 1995
Birth Place:Motoʻotua, Samoa
Height:1.710NaN0
Weight:730NaN0
School:St. Joseph's College
Position:Scrum-half
Years1:2018
Clubs1:Otago
Apps1:7
Points1:5
Repyears1:2015
Repteam1:Samoa U20
Repcaps1:3
Reppoints1:0
Repyears2:2017–
Repteam2:Samoa
Repcaps2:13
Reppoints2:40
Clubupdate:28 August 2023
Repupdate:28 August 2023
Ru Sevensnationalyears1:2019–
Ru Sevensnationalteam1:Samoa
Ru Sevensnationalcomp1:20
Ru Sevensupdate:28 August 2023

Melani Matavao (born 19 November 1995) is a Samoan professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for the Samoa national team.[1]

Club career

Matavao has come through Samoa's PPS Super 9 competition as a key player for the Aana Chiefs.[2] In 2018 he was given a place with Otago under World Rugby's Pacific Combine scheme,[3] [4] playing 7 games in the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup season.[5]

In 2019 he signed for the Asia Pacific Dragons,[6] but did not play any matches with the team.[7]

International career

In 2015 Matavao was selected for the Samoan Under 20 side for the U20 World Championship in Italy.[8] In 2016 he was selected for Samoa A.[9]

He was selected for the Samoan national team in 2017,[10] making his debut in a test against Scotland in Edinburgh.[11] He played for Samoa in the 2018 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup.[12] He was decisive in Samoa's qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, scoring two tries in a qualifier against Germany.[13]

In February 2019 he was selected for the first time for the Samoa Sevens.[14] [15] He was then named to Samoa's Rugby World Cup squad.[16] After the world cup, he played in the 2020 world sevens series.[17]

Matavao was selected for the Samoan squad to the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Melani Matavao. ESPN scrum.
  2. Web site: One Local Player in Samoa's Rugby World Cup Squad. August 31, 2019.
  3. Web site: Pacific Combine creates new player pathway on islands . Rugby World . 30 July 2018 . 2 February 2022.
  4. Web site: 'We just need to be more clinical' . Otago Daily Times . 28 September 2018 . 2 February 2022.
  5. Web site: Melani Matavao . April 19, 2019 . New Zealand Rugby History.
  6. Web site: Hammington signs for Otago for two years . Otago Daily Times . 8 February 2019 . 2 February 2022.
  7. Web site: Asia Pacific Dragons' threat fails to materialise - at least for now . Otago Daily Times . 7 May 2019 . 2 February 2022.
  8. Web site: Matavao is the player to watch out for this weekend | Loop Samoa.
  9. Web site: Samoa A squad named . Samoa Observer . Sina Sevaaetasi . 27 September 2016 . 2 February 2022.
  10. Web site: Sport: Seven new caps in Manu Samoa squad . RNZ . 21 October 2017 . 2 February 2022.
  11. Web site: Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - Melani Matavao - Test matches. ESPN scrum.
  12. Web site: Premier 1's – New recruit Melani Matavao selected for national honours . Harbour Rugby . 23 May 2018 . 2 February 2022.
  13. Web site: Samoa step closer to Rugby World Cup qualification after routing Germany . Stuff . 1 July 2018 . 2 February 2022.
  14. Web site: Two debutants in Samoa 7s squad for Vegas, Vancouver . Fiji Times . 22 February 2019 . 2 February 2022.
  15. Web site: Vaili and Matavao star in their first Sevens Series campaigns . Thomas Airey . Samoa Observer . 17 June 2019 . 2 February 2022.
  16. Web site: Sport: Manu Samoa name two new caps in RWC squad . August 31, 2019. RNZ.
  17. Web site: Matavao to make his comeback for Samoa at the LA 7s . Loop Samoa . 25 February 2020 . 2 February 2022.
  18. Web site: Sanerivi . Sialai Sarafina . 2022-09-07 . Manu Samoa 7's team named for R.W.C. this weekend . 2022-09-17 . Samoa Observer.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Melani Matavao".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.