If there's something on near the line I'm encouraged to get the ball out

If there's something on near the line, I'm encouraged to get the ball out. The philosophy of the team is never to die wondering."It almost goes without saying that Matautia's arrival will also signal some clattering big hits, one or two of them somewhere near the boundaries of legality. It goes with the image; some players can make dubious tackles look innocent, whilst Matautia can make routine efforts look like mayhem.The game will have to audition anew for the role of villain next year, although one frightening thought is that some callow youth could be playing rugby union against Liverpool-St Helens next season and find Matautia in his face "The disciplinary is a factor. But for that, I'd keep plugging away," he says, but with few regrets about the manner of his leaving."It's not a bad way to go out ­ winning everything in the game. I've won two Challenge Cups, three Super League titles, one World Club Championship. Greater players than me have finished in this game with nothing, but I've been part of probably the most successful period in the club's history."Vila Matautia, quietly-spoken town-centre licensee, does not feel the need to justify himself But, if he did, that thought would do the job nicely..

It has taken the best part of six years to reach this point ­ six years too long for those voiceless legions who resent seeing their sport contaminated by the infantile politics of the committee room ­ and there is still no guarantee of an early end to the agony. But by the time the good, the bad and the ugly of English rugby have finished hollering at each other in the middle of Westminster this evening, the professional wing of the union code will at least know whether it has a future worthy of the name. It has taken the best part of six years to reach this point ­ six years too long for those voiceless legions who resent seeing their sport contaminated by the infantile politics of the committee room ­ and there is still no guarantee of an early end to the agony. But by the time the good, the bad and the ugly of English rugby have finished hollering at each other in the middle of Westminster this evening, the professional wing of the union code will at least know whether it has a future worthy of the name. On the face of it, the Special General Meeting of the Rugby Football Union, called by the anti-Premiership backwoodsmen of the Reform Group with the support of more than 250 clubs ranging from Coventry and Blackheath to York Railway Institute and Aesculapians, is about seven resolutions designed to tighten Twickenham's grip on power and ensure that the benefits of a booming rugby economy trickle down to the lowest of the low.Scratch beneath the surface, though, and the real significance of this evening's meeting emerges in all its gory detail. What is in dispute here is the running of the professional club game. The Reform Group's attempt to prevent the RFU hierarchy agreeing any deal with the ?te clubs ­ the Leicesters, the Baths, the Northamptons ­ without the consent of the full, four-figure membership in open forum would, if successful, lead to the setting up of a rival governing body to protect and maximise the interests of the Premiership fraternity.Another Reform Group resolution seeks to prevent the Premiership clubs negotiating their own broadcasting and sponsorship deals in respect of the tournaments in which they participate.

This is "red rag to a bull" material, and it appears to fly in the face of European competition law A legal challenge would be inevitable. Ironically, tonight's meeting takes place less than 24 hours before the start of the inaugural Zurich Championship, the end-of-season play-offs devised, organised and marketed by the clubs themselves. If the vote goes against them, all hell will break loose.Brian Baister, the RFU chairman, and Francis Baron, the chief executive, know that the stakes are high; indeed, Baister's position will be untenable if the Reform Group emerges victorious, for he has staked his reputation on securing a lasting agreement with the professional clubs. He is running out of time, too, for all bets will be off when the existing deal expires at the end of next month. If there is no progress by then ­ and a Reform Group triumph would ensure the absence of progress ­ the clubs will consider withdrawing their players from England's summer tour of North America. That, in turn, would put the authority of the International Rugby Board under extreme pressure.At the same time, the RFU's strategic plan would be reduced to the status of cheap loo paper. The key objectives of the plan, which range from an English World Cup victory by 2007 to the injection of well over £100m into grass roots rugby over the next eight years, are so much pie in the sky without a mutually beneficial relationship between the union and the clubs.