Edinburgh have confirmed that Viliame ‘Bill’ Mata, one of their most important players since he signed in 2016, is to leave them for Bristol Bears at the end of the season. The 32-year-old Fijian has been with the capital club since 2016, and senior coach Sean Everitt hailed him as one of the team’s greatest-ever imports.
“Bill has been an incredible and standout performer since joining Edinburgh in 2016 and he will go down as one of the greatest overseas players to wear the castle on his chest,” he said. “All at the club wish Bill and his family the very best in his move to Bristol. He’ll still have a huge role to play in the second half of the campaign as we battle in both the BKT United Rugby Championship and European Challenge Cup.”
Bristol coach Pat Lam, who already has ex-Edinburgh captain Magnus Bradbury in his squad, hailed Mata as a world-class signing.“Viliame is one of the most powerful and exciting back-row players in the game, so we’re delighted to be bolstering our forward pack with a player of his world-class calibre next season,” he said.
“His performances for Edinburgh, and at the recent Rugby World Cup in France for Fiji, showcased his experience and ability at the top level. We’re pleased to be bringing him to the Bears and the Premiership next season.”
Speaking on the Bears website, Mata, who won Olympic gold with Fiji’s sevens team at the 2016 Olympics, said: “I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Bristol Bears next season. I’m excited for the challenge of playing for a different team, in a different environment and a different league.”
The English Premiership club’s interest in the 32-year-old Fijian was first made public last month, and although Edinburgh’s senior coach Sean Everitt said then that he would be delighted to hold on to Mata, he also acknowledged the difficulties of keeping all of his leading players on a finite budget. Since then Edinburgh have agreed a new long-term contract with Darcy Graham, while Graham’s fellow-winger Duhan van der Merwe and lock forward Grant Gilchrist have signed one-year contract extensions. Everitt himself is also currently involved in talks aimed at extending his contract, which runs out in the summer.
