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Cotter's warning for Fiji star Mata over potential Edinburgh exit

Fiji's Viliame Mata. (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

Flying Fijian coach Vern Cotter is urging explosive No8 Viliame Mata to make the right choice of club if he decides to quit Edinburgh at the end of this season. Cotter was unable to include the injured Mata in his Autumn Nations Cup squad which saw the Fijian team restricted to one game against Georgia due to a series of positive COVID-19 tests at their French training base.

If Mata does leave Edinburgh, who he joined in 2016, a club in France is the most likely option although the No8 is still trying to recapture his best ball carrying form following the injury lay-off.

Former Scotland coach Cotter told the Fiji Sun: “We are hoping he stays at Edinburgh or goes to a similar club that has the same quality of professionalism that Edinburgh has. We will be strictly monitoring him right through building up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

“He has just returned from a reasonably long term injury and it is important that he has exceptional strength and conditioning support including nutrition and competition for team spots.”

During his time with Edinburgh Mata received the Guinness Pro14 Player’s Player Award for the 2018-2019 season and is one of the most explosive ball carriers in European rugby – when fully fit. 

Mata, 29, arrived at Edinburgh having helped Fiji win Olympic Gold at the 2016 Games in Rio and represented his country at nine events on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens circuit, scoring 11 tries.

He scored a try in Fiji’s 43-7 victory over Great Britain in the Olympic final and current sevens coach Gareth Baber has revealed he is prepared to consider players currently playing 15s rugby in Europe for the defence of the gold medal in the Tokyo Games next year.

Mata agreed a one-year extension to his deal, keeping him at Edinburgh until at least 2021 and head coach Richard Cockerill will want to keep on of his most influential forwards.

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S
SK 39 minutes ago
What is the future of rugby in 2025?

Set pieces are important and the way teams use them is a great indication of how they play the game. No team is showcasing their revolution more than the Springboks. This year they have mauled less and primarily in the attacking third. Otherwise they have tended to set like they are going to maul and then play around the corner or shove the ball out the back. They arent also hitting the crash ball carrier constantly but instead they are choosing to use their width or a big carrying forward in wider areas. While their maul is varied the scrum is still a blunt instrument winning penalties before the backs have a go. Some teams have chosen to blunt their set piece game for more control. The All Blacks are kicking more penalties and are using their powerful scrum as an attacking tool choosing that set piece as an attacking weapon. Their willingness to maul more and in different positions is also becoming more prominent. The French continue to play conservative rugby off the set piece using their big bruisers frequently. The set piece is used differently by different teams. Different teams play different ways and can be successful regardless. They can win games with little territory and possession or smash teams with plenty of both. The game of rugby is for all types and sizes and thats true in the modern era. I hope that administrators keep it that way and dont go further towards a Rugby League style situation. Some administrators are of the opinion that rugby is too slow and needs to be sped up. Why not rather empower teams to choose how they want to play and create a framework that favours neither size nor agility. That favours neither slow tempo play or rock n roll rugby. Create a game that favour both and challenge teams to execute their plans. If World Rugby can create a game like that then it will be the ultimate winner.

34 Go to comments
J
JW 6 hours ago
'Let's not sugarcoat it': Former All Black's urgent call to protect eligibility rules

Yep, no one knows what will happen. Thing is I think (this is me arguing a point here not a random debate with this one) they're better off trialing it now in a controlled environment than waiting to open it up in a knee jerk style reaction to a crumbling organtization and team. They can always stop it again.


The principle idea is that why would players leave just because the door is ajar?


BBBR decides to go but is not good enough to retain the jersey after doing it. NZ no longer need to do what I suggest by paying him to get back upto speed. That is solely a concept of a body that needs to do what I call pick and stick wth players. NZR can't hold onto everyone so they have to choose their BBBRs and if that player comes back from a sabbatical under par it's a priority to get him upto speed as fast as possible because half of his competition has been let go overseas because they can't hold onto them all. Changing eligibility removes that dilemma, if a BBBR isn't playing well you can be assured that someone else is (well the idea is that you can be more assured than if you only selected from domestic players).


So if someone decides they want to go overseas, they better do it with an org than is going to help improve them, otherwise theyre still basically as ineligible as if they would have been scorning a NZ Super side that would have given them the best chance to be an All Black.

147 Go to comments
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