He started playing at school with the Alumni Club in Buenos Aires and was soon one of the stars of Argentina's under-age Pampas programme, travelling to South Africa for three months every year to play in the Vodacom Cup.Ģ015 Rugby World Cup Quarter-Final, Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales. 'That was the first I thought 'wow, I want to be a part of this,'' he explained in 2015. He was 22 at the time and seemed to symbolise the new generation of Argentine rugby player, who were inspired by the exploits of 2007, when the Pumas reached the World Cup semi-final for the first time, also beating Ireland along the way.Īt the time, Matera, a native of Buenos Aires, was more interested in soccer and ironically, considering the flak he got for his low-key tribute to Maradona, a devotee of Boca Juniors and regular at the famous La Bombonera stadium. In the infamous 2015 World Cup quarter-final, it was Matera's brutal and brilliant display that set the tone as the Argentinians crushed an injury-ravaged Irish side. Pic: INPHO/Photosport/Martin HunterĮven if he arrives back in Dublin, where he will first captained Argentina back in November 2018, under a cloud, forwards coach Paul O'Connell and the Irish pack will have circled Matera as the primary threat for Sunday's final autumn international. Super Rugby Grand Final, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand. With the Jaguares experiment ended by the pandemic, Matera and Pumas will once again find themselves flung to the four corners the rugby world for club action.

The Argentine has long been admired in New Zealand, after he led the Jaguares to the 2019 final against Crusaders, which they lost despite a heroic man of the match performance from Matera. In April this year, after he had been linked with a possible move to Munster, it was revealed that Matera will be moving to Crusaders for next season's Super Rugby season. Such is the depth of his talent, with his carrying ability and relentlessness at the breakdown, that it was always likely that his remorse for the offensive tweets would be forgiven within the sport. The UAR also ordered Matera should undergo educational training on prejudice and discrimination.Īt 6ft 4 ins and tipping the scales at over 17 stone, Matera is an impressive physical specimen and has long been considered one of the world's best flankers. Within a couple of weeks, Matera had been reinstated, on the back of his apology and testimony from legendary Pumas such as Agustin Creevy and Agustin Pichot as to his good character. Pablo Matera of Argentina makes a break during the 2020 Tri-Nations rugby match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Argentina Los Pumas at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney, Australia. Not nearly enough, according to the Argentinian press, and within a few days, historical tweets made by a teenage Matera, had surfaced in their media. While the All Blacks offered one of their famous jerseys with Maradona's name and No 10 on the back, Argentina simply wore a black armband to remember their fallen national idol. In the return match in the Rugby Championship - in which New Zealand exacted revenge to the tune of 38-0 - Matera and his teammates were vilified back home for not paying enough homage to Diego Maradona, who had recently passed away. Within a few weeks, though, his reputation had been shredded. Matera's brilliance confirmed his status as one of the best back-row forwards in the world.

'It is not respect,' he told referee Angus Gardener. Pablo Matera of the Pumas looks on during the 2020 Tri-Nations match between the Argentina Pumas and the New Zealand All Blacks at McDonald Jones Stadium on Novemin Newcastle, Australia.

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