Northampton Saints

On one of the Facebook groups earlier there was a link to a Chronicle article saying we have signed Sam Matevesi with immediate effect.
No mention anywhere else, not sure if it was released early then pulled or it was false, anyone else seen it.
This is the link I had, may not work now.
[www-northamptonchron-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org]

According to Wikipedia he plays for us. There was a Chron article that was then taken down.

Above link worked okay but going onto Chron website direct, the article has disappeared.
Says he plays hooker and no 8 and for the Royal Navy. Hello sailor.
This was mentioned last week as joining from the PIrates. We'll see.

Link worked ok for me.

Despite losing Dylan and Samson - hopefully just for now - that still leaves us with 4 hookers. Mikey, James, Reece & Michael so despite seeing this mentioned last month, it does surprise me unless James or Reece have longer term issues than we first thought.

[www.northamptonchron.co.uk]

This also my be worth a watch too...

[www.rugbydump.com]

Most likely Van Vuuren is on a short term contract so might be off at the end of the season. Plus Samsons health issue already mentioned.

We have lost 2 to retirement; hooker and back row. We appear to have picked up a World Cup starter (albeit for a lesser country) who can do both at a squeeze.

Mikey is just back from a 12 months injury. At the moment he is looking like playing most of each game with Fishy and Reece injured (hopefully not for much longer) and Sonny Ma'asi recovering from major surgery. MVV is on a short term contract and is useful cover but not really a starter. We currently have two fit hookers...it's nowhere near enough. Who would hook on Saturday if one of these pulls up lame in training?

Young Jack Hughes hooked for the Wandies with a guest on the bench. Jack is a prop . Perhaps long term he could be a hooker but definitely not yet. The Wandies have three games this month.

Confirmed on Twitter by Tom Vickers

RugbyPass

and the Offy
[www.northamptonsaints.co.uk]

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Welcome Sam. Look forward to seeing you in GBG.

Hooker and #8 are not the most common positions for one player to cover.

and its now on bbc so it must be right.

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ajack
Hooker and #8 are not the most common positions for one player to cover.

Very unusual - must be a small 8 or a big hooker

Biography from The Cornish Pirates site.


DoB – 13th Jan 1992

Birthplace – Truro
Height – 6’ (1.83m)
Weight – 16st 7lbs (105kg)
Position/s – Back-row/Hooker
Honours – Cornwall, Royal Navy, Fiji

A former Camborne, Plymouth Albion and Racing Metro (Paris) player, Sam signed for the Cornish Pirates from Redruth early in December 2017.

The Matavesi family is well-known in Cornwall. Sam’s dad Sereli Matavesi was the first Fijian to play for Camborne and Cornwall after his arrival in the 1980s, and his brothers Josh and Joel have also made their mark in the game.

Educated at the Camborne Science & International Academy, Sam then attended Truro College and was a member of the team that in 2009 won the Daily Mail RBS U18 Cup at Twickenham. He won his first cap for Fiji in 2013 and was a County Championship winner with Cornwall in 2016.

Besides being a Cornish Pirates squad member, Sam is also a Supply Chain Logistician based at RNAS Culdrose’s W16 Stores Department. Indeed, he has not only played against the Army in the annual Babcock Trophy match contested at Twickenham but has represented the UK Armed Forces side and was also the Cossack Sword trophy award winner for 2018.

Making a further 27 appearances for the Cornish Pirates in 2018/19, which took his overall games tally for the club to 37, Sam at the same time scored an impressive 10 tries. Also, during what proved a most memorable season, he was in November a member of the Fiji team that recorded their first ever win against France, whilst later in the season a loan spell at Stade Toulousain provided another wonderful experience.

Quote:

tedge

Quote:

ajack
Hooker and #8 are not the most common positions for one player to cover.

Very unusual - must be a small 8 or a big hooker

Absolute monster according to some in the know on this forum

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ajack
Hooker and #8 are not the most common positions for one player to cover.

Steve Thompson was a number 8 at school / club until Saints moved him to 2. He was always tall for a hooker at 6'2"

based on Stocker's stats, he's the same size as Haywood, give or take 3cm.

So he's not huge for a hooker and I would suggest that he's small for an 8, only 1kg heavier than Harrison but 5cm shorter.

I appreciate that in order to be able to play 2, 6 or 8, he must have a more varied skill set but this looks like a mobile hooker signing more than a scrum shoring signing.

Pirates fan coming in peace, A good signing for you, wait until he has slotted into his position and gets used to the way you play, he'll be a real asset. Agreed not the biggest of players but very mobile and well able to hold his own in a scrum. Good line breaker and a deceptive strong runner, check out his World Cup credentials for Fiji. He's a lovely friendly lad you'll soon grow to have around.

Thacker looks to be rewriting the ruleBook for a hooker at Bris. Welcome Sam

Yep, Thacker converted from centre.

Much easier to convert from a 7 (where I have seem Sam play.)

Welcome Sam, I hope that you enjoy your time with the Saints. Go well.

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ajack
Hooker and #8 are not the most common positions for one player to cover.

Maybe Boyd is working on using multi positional players to cut down on the number of replacements and so helping out the commercial arm by reducing travel costs.

Taken to extremes we could halve the bench by using just this guy, Fodes and James Wilson.

(Ok, they’re not all current players but it’s just a joke!)

It is actually a good point about replacements, I realise the traveling costs bit is a joke. Wasps for example use Johnson as both a back row and hooker, we have done the same with Thompson in the past. This does leave room for extra cover elsewhere. To be honest so many of our backs now cover multiple positions it is less of an issue.

We seem to have done a bit of a swap with Pirates as they’ve just announced that Paddy Ryan is moving to join them. Good luck And thanks Paddy!

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SaintsAsh
Yep, Thacker converted from centre.

I think you are confusing Harry with his brother Charlie who was/is a centre. I remember seeing Harry playing on the flank for Leicester U18's v Saints before moving to hooker

Pretty sure I'd heard Harry Thcker was a centre first