Chris Joynt said in his book if the coach didnt take Matautia off at exactly the right time they where running major risk of him being Sent Off. Or words to that effect.

I couldn't get up to the game but was listening to it on a tranny at my Mother in Law's in South Wales. When Bradford broke away for the try that was disallowed, I banged the table, the radio flew off and smashed. There wasn't another in the house. It was two days later when I realised we'd won (I didn't dare look at the teletext because I was convinced once they got ahead they'd murder us).

A happy ending - though I had to buy my Mother in Law another radio. It was worth it.

Ahh....the twentieth century!

He certainly wasn't aye. Of all Saints forwards over the past twenty years Vila's ratio of good things to poor things is probably among the lowest. He was a liability as you say.

Those were the days when I first start watching Saints. Long and Martyn in the halves were such a good combination, Matautia was my hero too. I was only about 6 or 7 at this time, used to love watching him charge at the line