'Big Bill' Mata 'a better player' following Barbarian debut

After making his Barbarians’ bow, ‘Big Bill’ Mata has turned his eyes to the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The Barbarians entertained the Twickenham crowd on Sunday, taking an England XV all the way in a 51-43 thriller which featured 13 tries and 80 minutes of fast-paced, running rugby.

Fijian Number 8 Viliame ‘Big Bill’ Mata made his debut for the invitational side and put in a typically combative display at the home of English Rugby.

Mata will be hoping to make a return to Twickenham on Saturday 16th November with his national side, Fiji, where they face the Barbarians in the first international match to be held in the UK after the Rugby World Cup. The Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal winner and 2018/19 Pro 14 Player of the Year explained this week what it means to represent the two most entertaining teams in international rugby.

“Making my debut last weekend for the Barbarians was a big step in my career. The Barbarians are known for world class players and being a part of the club is really exciting.

“The Barbarians have been going for many years with top quality players from around the globe coming together to make a world class team. Playing with a new group of players is what’s so exciting about becoming a Barbarian.

“Every game for the Barbarians is massive and it’s all about putting on a world class show for the fans. Playing on such a big stage like Twickenham makes it even more special and helps build you as a player. The occasion makes you a better rugby player.

“My main goal now is to get into Fiji’s final squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and from there we will take every game as we go. We’ve got Australia in our first game so it’s going to be tough for us but we’re aiming to finish the tournament well.

“I’ve had a good season with Edinburgh and the club has been really good to me. They like to use my strength and my talent on the field and putting out a game plan that suits me and my abilities well. Building up to the World Cup I want to take those performances and put them into the Fiji team.

“Fiji and the Barbarians have a similar style of play, with less structure than most sides. We want to give the ball out wide and run from anywhere on the pitch. Hopefully I’ll be involved for Fiji when they return to Twickenham to play the Barbarians in November, after the World Cup.

“It’ll be a really fast match as both teams just love to play the game. There will be more action from those two sides than you’ll find in almost any other game.”

The Barbarians return to Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 16th November to play Fiji in the Killik Cup. Tickets are on general sale now from www.ticketmaster.co.uk/barbarians with a special early bird offer and 50% off top price adult tickets for a limited time only