Mateaki Fonnama'atonga Mafi, also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "Matti", is a Tongan dual-code international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer, and sprinter. He played representative rugby union (RU) for

and representative rugby league (RL) for

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

, most notably at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, and participated at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

as a 200m sprinter.

Athletic career

Mafi was a 200m sprinter and as a 19-year-old represented Tonga at the

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. He finished fifth in his heat and failed to make the quarterfinals.

Rugby union career

Mafi was a

player in the Tongan domestic competition.

Rugby league career

Mafi switched to

in 1995, joining the

Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warrington ...

in England. He was named in the Tongan squad for the 1995 World Cup. Along with

Willie Swann Willie Swann (born 1974) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and coach of Samoan heritage. He currently coaches the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup. He is a former Samoa international and vice-captain. He a ...

and Martin Dermott, Mafi was sacked by Warrington early in the 1997 season after the club had a poor start to the season.Warrington sack three players
''The Independent'', 18 March 1997

Return to rugby union

Mafi then returned to

, joining

Dunvant RFC Dunvant Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Dunvant, Swansea in South Wales. Dunvant RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union. They competed in the Welsh Championship for the first time in 2016/2017, but were relegate ...

in Wales. In 2000 he moved to the

Bridgend RFC Bridgend Ravens ( cy, Cigfrain Pen-y-bont) (formerly Bridgend RFC) are a semi-professional rugby union club based in Bridgend, South Wales. They currently play in the Welsh Premier Division and are a feeder club to the Ospreys regional team ...

, before finishing his career with the

Taibach RFC Taibach Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Taibach of Port Talbot in Wales, UK. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is also a feeder club for the Ospreys. Taibach RFC were the winners of the inaugural ...

. He retired in 2004. During his time in rugby union he represented

at rugby sevens and also played for the

Barbarians FC The Barbarian Football Club, known as the Barbarians is a British-based invitational rugby union club. The Barbarians play in black and white hoops, though players wear socks from their own club strip. Membership is by invitation. As of 2011, p ...

.Rugby player’s new Crufts success
''South Wales Echo'', 15 March 2008

Later years

Mafi now works as a security officer at the St Davids Dewi Sant Shopping Centre in Cardiff.Queens Arcade racers get top tips from Olympian
''South Wales Echo'', 26 August 2009 He also shows his

Neapolitan Mastiff The Neapolitan Mastiff or is an Italian breed of large dog of mastiff type. It descends from the traditional guard dogs of central Italy. It was recognised as a breed by the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana in 1949, and accepted by the ...

s at dog shows, winning two awards at the 2008

Crufts Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, first held in 1891. Organised and hosted by The Kennel Club, it is the largest show of its kind in the world. Crufts is centred on a championship conformation show for do ...

Achievements in athletics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mafi, Mateaki Living people Tongan rugby league players Tonga national rugby league team players Warrington Wolves players 1972 births Olympic athletes for Tonga Tongan rugby union players Tongan male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Bridgend RFC players Security guards Tongan expatriate rugby union players in Wales Rugby league wingers Footballers who switched code Pacific Games bronze medalists for Tonga Pacific Games medalists in athletics Dunvant RFC players