Matas Jurevičius - a rugby player from England with Lithuanian roots

On 30 June, an exceptional training session took place at Vingis Park stadium - the Vilnius Rugby Academy men's team was coached by Matas Jurevičius - a professional rugby player with both English and Lithuanian nationalities. It was an extraordinary opportunity to gain experience from an athlete who plays for one of the top level clubs in England.

Matas was born and raised in England and returned to Lithuania for the summer at the age of 18. Then he came to the Vilnius Rugby Academy to train and play rugby and played two matches. Shortly after, he returned to England where he signed his first professional contract with London Scottish. After the COVID pandemic, Matas joined Harlequins, where he spent 4-5 seasons, and now represents Ealing Trailfinders. He plays on the second and third line, a position that requires not only strength but also stamina and speed.

During the training session Matas shared his experience, knowledge and insights with the VRA players. He showed the exercises and techniques he learned during his career abroad, talked about professional rugby cuisine, training culture and preparation for competitions. Matas had already met some of the VRA players when he played briefly in Lithuania, so there was no shortage of smiles and warm communication during the training session.

"It's great to come back to Lithuania, especially to such a good stadium in Vingis Park. I'm happy to come to the men's training, to train together, to play together, to share what I've learnt," said Matas.

He had more than one “wow” moment in rugby, when he realised he was at a really high level... The first was when he finished school and signed his first professional contract when he was just 18. "I came to training - from 7am to 2pm, men weigh about 140kg and I weighed about 105kg at the time. I wasn't used to playing at that level," Matas recalled. The next turning point came when he signed a contract with a TOP League club, when he had to get used not only to the physical contact, but also to a much higher level of speed and professionalism. Everything was much more professional, there were completely different requirements - weight measurements, how much fat you have, various tests, such as running, very strict rules.

When we asked about his pre-match rituals, Matas said with a smile that he doesn't have a specific action or sign: "I eat a lot of carbohydrates the day before to give me energy. And on the day of the match, I take it easy, I try not to get nervous, because when you start thinking too much you make mistakes. Sport is sport, you never know how things are going to work out. I come to play the way I want to play - I love this sport, and it will be what it will be."

We asked him if he had a signature move after scoring - Matas laughed: “No, I usually just fall down tired on the grass”. We joked that maybe that is his signature move. “In our team, we are just now getting into that fashionable tradition of making some kind of gesture after scoring.”

He was modest about his role in the VRA men's team: "I don't feel like a coach. I'm just showing what I've learned from my coaches, from my experience. And if it helps the VRA men's team, I'm very happy."

We are very grateful to Matas for sharing his experience and wish him all the best in his rugby career.

We hope to see Matas Jurevičius wearing a T-shirt of the Lithuanian national rugby team soon.