Viliame Mata: 'To tick that off would be massive for me'

RugbyPass interviews with star Fijian rugby players are a bit like the buses. Two arrived this month in the space of a few days, ending a gap stretching back to last year’s Rugby World Cup when they captured the global imagination with their quarter-final run.

Levani Botia outlined over a 30-minute call last week from France how he craves a return to play with La Rochelle, the French club where he has been rehabbing his fractured arm since early May. He will be back in November, as will Viliame Mata, his fellow back-rower.

It was September 6 when Bristol confirmed that ‘Big Bill’, their big summer signing from Edinburgh, had damaged a hamstring so badly in a behind-closed-doors pre-season hit-out versus Ealing Trailfinders that an operation was needed.

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Gallagher Premiership round seven away to Harlequins on November 29 is the Bears’ debut date ringed in his calendar but who knows, we might see him sooner if he is ready and Fiji want him involved on a four-match tour where three of the matches fall under the World Rugby regulation nine player release.

It was last Tuesday at Principality Stadium, the ground that will host Fiji versus Wales on November 10, when Mata dropped into a fifth-floor hospitality box for an exclusive 20-minute chat with RugbyPass before heading down onto the hallowed turf for a photo call to launch the 30th season of European rugby which will culminate with Cardiff finals.

Almost time for the 30th #InvestecChampionsCup season to begin ??

Read more about our content capture day at the Principality Stadium ?

— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) October 16, 2024

Mata will hope it is a double whammy on that front as Bristol will play their Premiership match versus Bath at the Principality on May 10, a fortnight before the Investec Champions Cup decider at the same ground. Before all that, though, he needs to get himself fit and get in his keenly awaited maiden run for the Bears.

“It’s a lot of new stuff to learn and I was getting really good learning, but the Ealing game was a small setback,” he explained about settling into English life under Pat Lam following eight years in Scotland. “My family are enjoying it. Settled in well. Two kids are in school, one still at home; loving it. Training, the boys are getting on. It’s good getting to know everybody. It’s quite quiet from Edinburgh. Trying to find my feet in Bristol.”

A 2016/17 recruit by the Scottish club following his gold medal sevens success with Fiji at the Rio Olympics, the 32-year-old was tickled by Bristol’s interest in him to quit the United Rugby Championship for the Premiership.

The deal was announced last January and he is enjoying the vibe surrounding the current league leaders, who host second-place Saracens this Saturday at Ashton Gate. “I followed the Premiership when I moved to the UK and said I wanted to play Premiership before I leave the UK,” he said, explaining his transfer.

“I always wanted to play knowing there are a couple of big England players playing for Premiership clubs, so just to tick that off would be massive for me. Bristol play fast rugby, more attacking rugby that would suit my personality. Just watching them play I get excited. I am pretty happy to have come, excited to have joined the team.

“They are a great team to watch. I have watched them play at home and followed them on the TV (away), it’s really exciting to watch. Watching the back rows play, they are everywhere. The game plan for Bristol suits them really well for the players running around with speed, pace and power.

“The first time in Ashton Gate was when they played Gloucester. It’s quite the atmosphere. A lot of fans turn up to watch. Playing up in Edinburgh, we have got a 7,800-capacity stadium which is quite enclosed and we can hear people but Bristol have a bigger stadium with a lot of fans. I can’t wait to run out there and play for them.

“I thought last season they were going to make the play-offs but they just missed out in the last game. But looking at the squad now, I think we are going to make it and do better than last season. Hopefully go all the way through.”

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Fighting his way to fitness is a game of patience. “My longest one so far was my ACL (torn in December 2021). You have to take time with it, building it up, but I have got a hamstring now and so far the process has been really good. On track at the moment. As part of rehab, you have to do your time just easy and slow. You don’t want to have to go back to the start day one again.”

What about the 6ft 5in talisman’s weight? “I’m playing around 123kgs at the moment. It’s not my best because I would love to go under that. I struggled a bit after my knee operation, but playing really well with 123 so that’s the key at the moment.

“I’m a guy that even sitting around doing nothing I’ll put on weight. I think everyone struggles after the weekend, maybe not just me. But during the week you get through a lot of work so you get back to normal,” he explained, his boots resting on the chair next to him. “I have always played with Mizuno since sevens. It helps the wide feet.”

If that is all positive, getting tuned up to sing the Bristol Blackbird victory song is a different story, though. “The post-match song? There are two other Fijians here and I keep asking them. I don’t think they even know the song, but I’ll try and get there before my first home game,” he chuckled.

Set to celebrate his 33rd birthday next week on October 22, Mata has come a long way since his fledgling first steps in the sport at home in Fiji. “It was at primary school, I think I was about 10, that was when I started playing rugby. My dad was out of the country but my mum took me to most of the games. From there it was all rugby.

“It’s hard when you come from Fiji, you don’t know whether you are good or not. There are so many players, even for the position you are aiming for. It’s just keeping the consistency and maybe you can have a breakthrough. I had a breakthrough when Ben Ryan was there for sevens.

Fiji turned in a performance to remember to win gold in the men's rugby sevens at Rio 2016 ?#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/yrJBTJJFld

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 10, 2021

“I left school, had a feeling for rugby league as well but couldn’t get the break. Went back to rugby union and then went to mum’s village just to play rugby (with Davetalevu) and I got selected to play in the sevens team. Ben Ryan picked me up and it went all the way from there.

“When I got into the Fiji training squad, that was when I thought rugby could be big. That’s when I concentrated on my rugby. To make my debut for Fiji sevens was massive and winning in Rio still means so much. It was a massive celebration. When we got to Fiji we landed in Nadi airport and had a welcome home ceremony for the team.

“We usually take the bus from Nadi to Suva (three-plus hours along the coast) but the officials thought every village on the road would stop the bus, so we flew from Nadi to Suva just to continue the celebrations. It was massive. First of all, it was massive for Fiji and the build-up to it as well, people know that Fiji has to win that gold.

“It’s the only gold medal that we can win in the Olympics at the moment so people are backing themselves to get a gold. I still have it with me, I keep it along with me and every time I look at it you get all the memories coming back. Good memories.”

Next came Scotland and a cold start to life in XV after his sevens success. “Edinburgh was the first contract offered. Ben Ryan mentioned that it wasn’t that good but it could be a good start for us, so I packed my bags and went to Scotland not knowing Edinburgh was just close to Glasgow.

“I had told my wife it was close to London. I went to Glasgow to play sevens the year before that but yeah, it could have worked either way because our first week as a family there, something could have happened that would have left us going back to Fiji.

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“It was totally different. When you are at home it’s shorts and t-shirts you wear around. I tried doing that in the first week of training at Edinburgh with just a rugby shirt and a training jersey but then the second week I took my whole kit to training with me just to keep me warm for training. It was quite different but nice.

“I’m just grateful for the first contract Edinburgh offered because, without that, God knows where I would be, maybe still on the island trying to get a breakthrough. To spend eight seasons at Edinburgh was a blessing for me and my family. Two of my boys were born there, so Edinburgh will always have a part in our hearts. The highlight? It would be beating Toulon away in the Champions Cup.”

We finish with Test-game reflections about Fiji, the team he last played with in July when beaten 5-47 by New Zealand in San Diego. They have since won the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup, defeating Japan in the final in Osaka, and Mata’s hope is the results will keep coming on a November tour with assignments away to Scotland, Wales, Spain and Ireland.

“The quarter-final last year was a massive achievement for Fiji. It gave us an opportunity to play against tier-one nations and build up more confidence. We had the All Blacks in the summer and have got Wales, Scotland and Ireland in autumn, so plenty of game time.

“If we improve our results, tier-one teams will want to play against us so we are hoping to get as much experience to build up to the next World Cup. November will be really helpful to gauge where we are. Are we tier-one or do we still have to work a bit harder? Playing against tier-one, especially against the All Blacks, is a great learning, a great experience, something that we need as a team to get better.”