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Matt Stevens (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Matthew Stevens is an English
rugby union
player, who plays at prop for Saracens F.C.
and .
He can cover both sides of the scrum and most of his England caps
have come at tighthead. He formerly played for Bath Rugby club. In 2009 after a positive drugs test, he was banned from the game for two years.
, 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 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 at Twickenham
.
Stevens was known for popping up in the back line during matches for Bath, and has quite a turn of pace for a front-rower.
In January 2008, Stevens signed a four-year contract with Bath that would have kept him at the club until the end of the 2011–12 season.
the previous month. He was withdrawn from the England 6 nations squad for the 2009 tournament and suspended by Bath RFC.
He was banned from rugby for two years on 26 February 2009 after testing positive for cocaine
, and on 5 March announced that he was quitting his club before they sacked him.
in the 2010–11 Aviva Premiership final.
. He soon drew the attention of the England senior team selectors and was selected for the 2004 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 in Brisbane.
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 and 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.
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 .
on ITV
. He was mentored by Sharon Osbourne
and reached the final only to be defeated by Eastenders star Lucy Benjamin. 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 BSc in politics with economics from the University of Bath
.
While serving his ban, Stevens worked in the coffee house he part owns with Lee Mears
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player, who plays at prop for Saracens F.C.
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
and .
He can cover both sides of the scrum and most of his England caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
have come at tighthead. He formerly played for Bath Rugby club. In 2009 after a positive drugs test, he was banned from the game for two years.
Early career in South Africa
Stevens was educated at Kearsney CollegeKearsney College
Kearsney College is a private boarding school for boys in Botha's Hill, a small town that lies between the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the largest city of KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa.- History :...
, 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.
Bath
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 following season as the pack dominated all opposition.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
Jason Leonard
Jason Leonard OBE , also known as "The Fun Bus", is an English former rugby union prop forward who held the world record for winning the most international caps until 2005, when it was surpassed by Australia's scrum-half George Gregan...
as a replacement in England's Six Nations game against at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
.
Stevens was known for popping up in the back line during matches for Bath, and has quite a turn of pace for a front-rower.
In January 2008, Stevens signed a four-year contract with Bath that would have kept him at the club until the end of the 2011–12 season.
Ban
However, on 20 January 2009 it was confirmed Stevens had failed a drug test after Bath's Heineken Cup match against GlasgowGlasgow Warriors
The Glasgow Warriors, formerly Glasgow Rugby, are one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland, Edinburgh being the other. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12 and their home ground is Firhill Stadium, also the home of Partick Thistle Football Club.-History:Glasgow Rugby were created to...
the previous month. He was withdrawn from the England 6 nations squad for the 2009 tournament and suspended by Bath RFC.
He was banned from rugby for two years on 26 February 2009 after testing positive for cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, and on 5 March announced that he was quitting his club before they sacked him.
Return with Saracens
In January 2010, it was announced that Stevens would sign for Saracens upon the completion of his ban. In his first season back, Stevens started for the Sarries side that defeated Leicester TigersLeicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
in the 2010–11 Aviva Premiership final.
International career
In 2003, Stevens, who qualified for England by virtue of his English parents, played for England U21s in the IRB Under 21 World Cup, which was held in OxfordshireOxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. He soon drew the attention of the England senior team selectors and was selected for the 2004 summer tour to New Zealand and Australia
2004 England rugby union tour of Australasia
-Matches:-Forwards:...
. He won his first two caps as a substitute in the Tests
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
against the All Blacks but a knee injury meant he was unavailable for the test against in Brisbane.
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
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
tour and featured in six games, though he did not play in any of the Test matches.
During the 2006 Six Nations Championship
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
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
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in June 2007.
Stevens was in England's squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
. He played in the three warm-up games, against and 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.
He was a replacement in England's loss to Wales in the first game of the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
and started in the second game, against .
Private life
In 2006, Stevens appeared on The X Factor: Battle of the StarsThe X Factor: Battle of the Stars
The X Factor: Battle of the Stars was a UK celebrity special edition of The X Factor, which screened on ITV, started on 29 May 2006 and lasting for eight consecutive nights...
on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. He was mentored by Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
and reached the final only to be defeated by Eastenders star Lucy Benjamin. Due to his appearance on the show, he raised over £125,000 for the Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
Children’s Fund and in October 2006 he was invited to meet the statesman in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
.
He holds a BSc in politics with economics from the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
.
While serving his ban, Stevens worked in the coffee house he part owns with Lee Mears
Lee Mears
Lee Mears is an English rugby union footballer, who plays hooker at Bath.-Early years:Mears first started playing rugby for the Torquay Athletic mini team. Then after playing at Paignton College, he went to Colston's School and came under the guidance of Andy Robinson and Alan Martinovic. He has...
.