Mateaki_Mafi
Mateaki Mafi
Tonga international rugby league & union footballer & Olympic sprinter
Mateaki Fonnama'atonga Mafi, also known by the nickname of "Matti",[2] is a Tongan dual-code international rugby union and rugby league footballer, and sprinter. He played representative rugby union (RU) for rugby league and representative rugby league (RL) for Tonga, most notably at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, and participated at the 1992 Summer Olympics as a 200m sprinter.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mateaki Fonnama'atonga Mafi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1972-09-19) 19 September 1972 (age 51) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (13 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Tonga | ||
| (South) Pacific Games | ||
 | 1991 Port Moresby | 4x100 m relay |
| 1991 Port Moresby | 4x400 m relay |
Mafi was a 200m sprinter and as a 19-year-old represented Tonga at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He finished fifth in his heat and failed to make the quarterfinals.[3]
Mafi was a rugby union player in the Tongan domestic competition.[4]
Mafi switched to rugby league in 1995, joining the Warrington Wolves in England.[1] He was named in the Tongan squad for the 1995 World Cup. Along with Willie Swann and Martin Dermott, Mafi was sacked by Warrington early in the 1997 season after the club had a poor start to the season.[4]
Mafi then returned to rugby union, joining Dunvant RFC in Wales.[5] In 2000 he moved to the Bridgend RFC,[6] before finishing his career with the Taibach RFC. He retired in 2004.[7]
During his time in rugby union he represented Tonga at rugby sevens and also played for the Barbarians FC.[8]
Mafi now works as a security officer at the St Davids Dewi Sant Shopping Centre in Cardiff.[2] He also shows his Neapolitan Mastiffs at dog shows, winning two awards at the 2008 Crufts.[8]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Tonga | |||||
| 1991 | South Pacific Games | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 41.20 s |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:19.53 min | |||
- "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- Queens Arcade racers get top tips from Olympian South Wales Echo, 26 August 2009
- "Mateaki Mafi at sports-reference.com". sports-reference.com. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- Warrington sack three players The Independent, 18 March 1997
- "Welsh / Scottish League Premier Division: Dunvant Need Slade; Dunvant 22 Edinburgh Reivers 29". The Mirror at highbeam.com. 20 September 1999. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- "Cardiff crash to Newport". cdnedge.bbc.co.uk. 27 February 2000. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- Conor Gogarty & Nick Machin (19 April 2016). "Former rugby star and Olympic sprinter becomes prizewinner at Crufts". Wales Online. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- Rugby player’s new Crufts success South Wales Echo, 15 March 2008
