Matt Stevens (rugby player)
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Matthew Stevens (born 1 October 1982 in Durban, South Africa) is a rugby union player, who plays at tighthead prop for Bath and England.
He was educated at Kearsney College, South Africa. His early representative honours include Western Province, South African Universities and the Junior Springboks at Under 18 and Under 19 level. Matt joined Bath in September 2002.
Matt Stevens burst onto the scene towards the end of the 2002/03 season making five appearances as a substitute and giving an indication as to his explosive qualities. He underlined those qualities with some strong performances coming off the bench for Bath early in the season as the pack dominated all opposition.
He is physically very well developed and his scrummaging is strong. He is a good lifter at the line-out and in open play Matt excels. He has genuine pace, as the New Zealand Barbarians found when they came up against him in a non-cap game in November 2003. Matt combines that pace with great hands and a tricky sidestep, as well as some destructive direct running.
Matt first caught the eye of the England selectors in 2003, when playing for England in the IRB Under 21 World Cup held in Oxfordshire. He was fast-tracked through the England set up and won his first two caps against the All Blacks on the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia. However a knee injury made him unavailable for the Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane.
He was in demand during Bath’s successful 2003/04 drive to the top of the Zurich Premiership table. In March 2004 he was selected as a replacement against Ireland at Twickenham ahead of Jason Leonard.
Stevens came into the England team in the 2005 Six Nations, and was one of the standout performers in England's disappointing campaign. Athletic and versatile in the loose and powerful in the scrum, he looks set to be the rock upon the English pack is built together with Andrew Sheridan in the post Woodward and Johnson era. Also selected for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour, featuring in six games.
In 2006, Stevens appeared on X Factor: Battle of the Stars on ITV. He was mentored by Sharon Osbourne. He came second in the singing competition, losing to Lucy Benjamin.
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Forwards: | Back • Bulloch • Byrne • Cockbain • Corry • Dallaglio • Easterby • Grewcock • Hayes • Hill • Jenkins • R.Jones • Kay • Moody • O'Callaghan • O'Connell • O'Kelly • Owen • Rowntree • Shaw • Sheridan • Stevens • Taylor • Thompson • Titterrell • White, Jason • White, Julian • Williams, M. | |
| Backs: | Cooper • Cueto • Cusiter • D'Arcy • Dawson • Greenwood • Henson • Hickie • Hodgson • S.Jones • Horgan • Lewsey • Murphy • O'Driscoll (c) • O'Gara • Peel • Robinson • Shanklin • Smith • Thomas • Wilkinson • Williams, S. • | ||
| Coach: | Woodward |
