Matt Stevens (rugby player)

Infobox Rugby biography
name = Matt Stevens


birthname = Matthew Stevens
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1982|10|1
placeofbirth = Durban, South Africa
height = height|ft=6|in=0
weight = convert|19|st|5|lb|kg|abbr=on
nickname =
school = Kearsney College
university = University of Bath
relatives =
ru_position = Prop|capital=yes
currentclub = Bath
ru_amateuryears =
ru_amateurclubs = Western Province
ru_clubyears = 2002–
ru_proclubs = Bath
ru_clubcaps = 54
ru_clubpoints = (10)
ru_nationalyears = 2003–
ru_nationalteam = nrut|England
ru_nationalcaps = 28
ru_nationalpoints = (0)
pcupdate =
repupdate = Picture: http://www.sportnetwork.net/mainadmin/img/2451160436548.jpg

Matthew Stevens (born 1 October 1982 in Durban, South Africa) is a rugby union player, who plays at prop for Bath and nrut|England. Though he usually plays at loosehead for Bath, he can cover both sides of the scrum and most of his England caps have come at tighthead.

Picture : http://www.sportnetwork.net/mainadmin/img/2451160436548.jpg

Rugby career

Matt Stevens was educated at Kearsney College, South Africa and played his youth rugby in that country, earning representative honours for Western Province, South African Universities and the Junior Springboks at Under 18 and Under 19 level, before deciding to move to England to pursue his university studies.

He joined Bath in September 2002 and gained attention towards the end of the 2002–03 season, making five appearances as a substitute. He put in strong performances coming off the bench for Bath early in the season as the pack dominated all opposition.

In 2003, Stevens, who qualified for England by virtue of an English father and grandfather, played for England U21s in the IRB Under 21 World Cup, which was held in Oxfordshire. He soon drew the attention of the England senior team selectors and was selected for the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia. He won his first two caps as a substitute in the Tests against the All Blacks but a knee injury meant he was unavailable for the test against nrut|Australia in Brisbane.

He featured in Bath's successful drive to the top of the Zürich Premiership table in 2003–04 and in March 2004 he was selected ahead of Jason Leonard as a replacement in England's Six Nations game against nrut|Ireland at Twickenham.

He was in the England team for the 2005 Six Nations, and was one of the better performers in England's disappointing campaign. He was selected for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour and featured in six games, though he did not play in any of the Test matches.

During the 2006 Six Nations Championship he suffered a shoulder injury that required two operations and kept him out of the game for nearly a year; he did not return to international duty until England's mid-year tour to South Africa in June 2007.

Stevens was in England's squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He played in the three warm-up games, against nrut|Wales and nrut|France and featured in all England's games during the tournament, starting in three of the pool games and coming off the bench in the other games.

Stevens is known for popping up in the backline during matches for Bath, and has quite a turn of pace for a front-rower.

He was a replacement in England's loss to Wales in the first game of the 2008 Six Nations Championship and started in the second game, against nrut|Italy.

In January 2008, Matt Stevens signed a new four-year contract with Bath that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2011–12 season.

Private life

In 2006, Stevens appeared on "" on ITV. He was mentored by Sharon Osbourne, and beat Eastenders star Lucy Benjamin in the final to claim the top prize. Due to his appearance on the show, he raised over £125,000 for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and in October 2006 he was invited to meet the statesman in Johannesburg.

He holds a BA in politics and economics from the University of Bath.

References

External links

* [http://www.bathrugby.com/6380_314.php Bath profile]
* [http://www.england-rugby.com/englandrugby/index.cfm?fuseaction=News.News_Detail&storyid=5922 England profile]
* [http://statistics.scrum.com/rugby_stats_05.asp?ID=ST16 Scrum.com player statistics]
* [http://www.guinnesspremiership.com/112_146.php?player=4805&includeref=dynamic Guinness Premiership profile]
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=2083 Matt Stevens photo by sportingheroes.net]