Pablo Matera

{{Infobox rugby biography

| name = Pablo Matera

| image = Pablo Matera 2014 (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Matera representing Leicester Tigers during the LV Cup

| fullname = Pablo Nicolás Matera

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|07|18|df=y}}

| birth_place = Buenos Aires, Argentina

| height = {{convert|1.92|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|111|kg|lb stlb|0|abbr=on}}

| school = St. Catherine's Moorlands School

| university =

| relatives =

| position = Flanker, Number 8

| currentclub = Mie Honda Heat

| years1 = 2012–2013

| clubs1 = Alumni

| apps1 = 3

| points1 = 5

| years2 = 2013–2015

| clubs2 = Pampas XV

| apps2 = 3

| points2 = 5

| years3 = 2013–2014

| clubs3 = Leicester Tigers

| apps3 = 8

| points3 = 10

| years4 = 2016–2019

| clubs4 = Jaguares

| apps4 = 52

| points4 = 55

| years5 = 2019–2021

| clubs5 = Stade Français

| apps5 = 25

| points5 = 10

| years6 = 2022

| clubs6 = Crusaders

| apps6 = 14

| points6 = 5

| years7 = 2022–

| clubs7 = Mie Honda Heat

| apps7 = 12

| points7 = 20

| repyears1 = 2012–2013

| repteam1 = Argentina U20

| repcaps1 = 10

| reppoints1 = 20

| repyears2 = 2013–

| repteam2 = Argentina

| repcaps2 = 95

| reppoints2 = 50

| clubupdate = 28 August 2023

| repupdate = 28 August 2023

| ru_sevensnationalyears1 = 2012

| ru_sevensnationalteam1 = Argentina

| ru_sevensnationalcomp1 = 2

| ru_sevensupdate = 28 August 2023

}}

Pablo Nicolás Matera (born 18 July 1993) is an Argentine professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Japan Rugby League One club Mie Honda Heat and the Argentina national team.{{Cite web |last=一般社団法人ジャパンラグビーリーグワン |title=Matera Pablo （2022-23） {{!}} JAPAN RUGBY LEAGUE ONE OFFICIAL SITE |url=https://league-one.jp/en/player/393441 |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=【公式】NTTジャパンラグビーリーグワン |language=ja}}

Previously, he played for Stade Français of the Top 14 League, the Leicester Tigers in England, the Pampas XV in the South African Vodacom Cup, and the Jaguares of Super Rugby.{{cite web | url=http://www.uar.com.ar/jugadores/ficha_jugador.asp?idjugador=971&idcategoria=41&estilo=los | title=Pablo Matera Argentina Rugby Player Profile | work=UAR | access-date=25 August 2013 | archive-date=13 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313111150/http://www.uar.com.ar/jugadores/ficha_jugador.asp?idjugador=971&idcategoria=41&estilo=los | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://www.espnscrum.com/the-rugby-championship-2013/rugby/player/165107.html | title=Pablo Matera ESPN Scrum Player Profile | work=ESPN | access-date=25 August 2013 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130825064610/http://www.espnscrum.com/the-rugby-championship-2013/rugby/player/165107.html | archive-date=25 August 2013 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://www.itsrugby.co.uk/player_26270.html | title=Pablo Matera itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics | work=itsrugby.co.uk | access-date=25 August 2013}} Matera has been a regular starter for Argentina since his debut in 2013, having played over 50 tests for his national team.

Club career

In October 2013, five months after his international debut, English Premiership side Leicester Tigers signed 20-year-old Matera until the end of the 2013–14 season.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/24442427|title=Pablo Matera: Leicester Tigers sign Argentine flanker|newspaper=BBC Sport|date=8 October 2013}} He initially signed as an injury replacement for Tom Croft. Matera scored his first try for the club in round 16 of the 2013–14 season against the Newcastle Falcons in an 18–41 victory at Kingston Park, Newcastle.{{cite news|url=https://www.premiershiprugby.com/report/newcastle-falcons-18-leicester-tigers-41|title=Newcastle Falcons 18 Leicester Tigers 41|newspaper=PremiershipRugby.com|date=2 March 2014}}

Matera signed for the Jaguares Argentina players, ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season, after their inclusion in the competition. Matera received a yellow card thirty three minutes into the game against the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium in Durban.{{cite news |title=Sharks beat gritty Jaguares|url= https://sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/news/sharks-beat-gritty-jaguares/|work=Sanzar|date=6 March 2016|access-date=18 March 2018}} Matera scored his first and only try of the season in their fifth home game in round 15 against the Bulls, a 29–11 victory at the José Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires.{{cite news |title=Wet weather win for Jaguares|url=https://sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/news/wet-weather-win-for-jaguares/|work=Sanzar|date=3 July 2016|access-date=18 March 2018}}

Matera scored his first and only try for the Jaguares in the 2017 season against the Waratahs in a 27–40 away win at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.{{cite news |title=Jaguares get the better of Waratahs|url=https://sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/news/jaguares-get-the-better-of-waratahs/|work=Sanzar|date=8 July 2017|access-date=18 March 2018}}

Matera was named as captain of the Jaguares ahead of the 2018 season.{{cite news |title=Pablo Matera es el nuevo capitán de Jaguares|url= http://www.espn.com.ar/rugby/nota/_/id/3915223/pablo-matera-es-el-nuevo-capitan-de-jaguares|work=ESPN|date=26 January 2018|access-date=18 March 2018|language=es}}

Matera joined Stade in 2019.

International career

Matera represented Argentina U20 in the 2012 and 2013 U20 World Championships.{{cite web | url=http://www.irb.com/jwc/teams/team=3782/player=45831/index.html | title=Pablo Matera IRB JWC Player Profile | work=IRB | access-date=25 August 2013}}

Matera made his senior debut for Los Pumas against Chile in May 2013 and was subsequently named in the squad for the 2013 Rugby Championship, where he featured in all the games of that campaign.{{SA Rugby Match Centre | id=102724 | homeid=11414 | awayid=11424 | leagueid=1154 | hometeam=South Africa | homescore=73 | awayscore=13 | awayteam=Argentina | matchdate=17 August 2013 | date=15 March 2016}}{{SA Rugby Match Centre | id=103854 | homeid=11424 | awayid=11414 | leagueid=1154 | hometeam=Argentina | homescore=17 | awayscore=22 | awayteam=South Africa | matchdate=24 August 2013 | date=15 March 2016}} Matera was a big feature for Argentina in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, playing six of seven games for Los Pumas and helping them finish fourth overall.

Matera played his 50th test for Los Pumas on 18 August 2018 against South Africa during round one on the 2018 Rugby Championship. The test was a 21–34 loss for Los Pumas, who bounced back to beat South Africa the following week. Despite Matera's good performances against South Africa, new head coach Mario Ledesma went on to bench Matera for the 8 September clash against New Zealand.{{fact|date=October 2023}}

Matera was the Captain of the {{nrut|Argentina}} national team, which on 14 November 2020 had their first ever win against the All Blacks.{{cite web|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/argentina/rugby/match/304522.html|work=ESPN|access-date=1 December 2020|title=Argentina (16) 25 - 15 (3) New Zealand (FT)}}

On 30 November 2020, Matera was temporarily stripped of his captaincy and suspended from the national team.{{Cite web|url=https://uar.com.ar/2020/11/30/comunicado-oficial-3/|title=Comunicado oficial|date=December 2020}}

Personal life

= Controversies =

In November 2020, Los Pumas were criticised for not properly honouring the death of Diego Maradona{{cite web|url=https://www.infobae.com/america/deportes/2020/11/28/criticas-en-las-redes-porque-los-pumas-no-homenajearon-a-maradona-en-el-partido-con-los-all-blacks/|title="Duras críticas a Los Pumas porque no homenajearon a Maradona en el partido con los All Blacks"|date=28 November 2020 |access-date=30 November 2020}} in the game against the All Blacks, three days after his death.{{cite web|url=https://www.clarin.com/deportes/murio-diego-armando-maradona-sufrio-paro-respiratorio_0_hCcpbyiC-.html|title="Murió Diego Armando Maradona y ya es leyenda"|date=25 November 2020|access-date=30 November 2020}} In the following days, several Twitter users found and shared racist messages published by Matera in his account.{{cite web|url=https://www.eldestapeweb.com/deportes/los-pumas/-salir-a-pisar-negros-los-mensajes-discriminadores-y-racistas-del-capitan-de-los-pumas-2020113012550|title=""Salir a pisar negros": los mensajes discriminadores y racistas del capitán de Los Pumas"|date=30 November 2020 |access-date=30 November 2020}} Matera's Twitter posts were made between seven and nine years earlier, when he was a teenager. In response, Matera deleted his social media accounts.[https://rugbyonslaught.com/pablo-matera-deletes-his-social-media-after-controversial-old-tweets-are-revealed/Pablo Matera deletes his social media after controversial old tweets are revealed] He has since publicly apologised.

Both the Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA) and the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI) heavily condemned Matera’s tweets.[https://twitter.com/DAIAArgentina/status/1333503867347230730 Frente a la difusión de los tweets misóginos, xenófobos y antisemitas publicados en el pasado por el capitán de Los Pumas, Pablo Matera, que se han viralizado en el día de la fecha, la DAIA expresa su rechazo][https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/es-hora-de-terminar-con-el-racismo-y-la-discriminacion-en-el-deporte Es hora de terminar con el racismo y la discriminación en el deporte]

Career statistics

= List of international tries =

As of 9 August 2022{{Cite web |title=Pablo MATERA profile and stats |url=https://all.rugby/player/pablo-matera |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=all.rugby |language=en}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%"

!Try

!Opposing team

!Location

!Venue

!Competition

!Date

!Result

!Score

|{{ru|CHI}}

|Montevideo, Uruguay

|Estadio Charrua

|2013 South American Rugby Championship "A"

|1 May 2013

|Win

|85 – 10

|{{ru|BRA}}

|Montevideo, Uruguay

|Estadio Charrua

|2013 South American Rugby Championship "A"

|4 May 2013

|Win

|83 – 10

|{{ru|ENG}}

|Santa Fe, Argentina

|Estadio Brigadier Estanislao López

|2017 June rugby union tests

|17 June 2017

|Loss

|25 – 35

|{{ru|RSA}}

|Durban, South Africa

|Kings Park Stadium

|2018 Rugby Championship

|18 August 2018

|Loss

|34 – 21

|{{ru|AUS}}

|Salta, Argentina

|Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena

|2018 Rugby Championship

|6 October 2018

|Loss

|34 – 45

|{{ru|RSA}}

|Pretoria, South Africa

|Loftus Versfeld Stadium

|2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches

|17 August 2019

|Loss

|24 – 18

|{{ru|WAL}}

|Cardiff, Wales

|Millennium Stadium

|2021 July rugby union tests

|10 July 2021

|Draw

|20 – 20

|{{ru|WAL}}

|Cardiff, Wales

|Millennium Stadium

|2021 July rugby union tests

|17 July 2021

|Win

|11 – 33

|{{ru|RSA}}

|Port Elizabeth, South Africa

|Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

|2021 Rugby Championship

|21 August 2021

|Loss

|29 – 10

|{{ru|AUS}}

|Mendoza, Argentina

|Estadio Malvinas Argentinas

|2022 Rugby Championship

|6 August 2022

|Loss

|26 – 41

= Club summary =

Season	Team	Games	Starts	Sub	Mins	Tries	Cons	Pens	Drops	Points	Yel	Red
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:60%;"
2016	rowspan="3"\|{{Rut\|Jaguares}}	11	10	1	748	1	0	0	0	5	2	0
2017	11	11	1	775	1	0	0	0	5	1	0
2018	5	5	0	386	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
colspan="2"\|Total \|\| 27 \|\| 26 \|\| 2 \|\| 1,909 \|\| 2 \|\| 0 \|\| 0 \|\| 0 \|\| 10 \|\| 3 \|\| 0