I just loved sport. It was my get-out. My freedom

FOR the last season-and-a-half I've been back in Camborne, as player-coach of my hometown club, looking after the defence and still trying to run around as well, while also working as the club's community officer and as a consultant for the club's main sponsor, CLX. I've been all over the world playing rugby, for various clubs and also for Fiji, but this is where my roots are, and it's great to be back among my family.

- JOSH MATAVESI

It was only through chance that my Dad (Sireli) ended up being in Camborne which is where me, Sam and Joel were all born. He was over in the UK playing for the Fiji Barbarians. It was the Easter period when they typically had three or four games close together, and I think it was after they played England on the Saturday, someone said that the Cornish beaches looked like Fiji, so they all took the bus down. While they were down here, they arranged to play Camborne and my old man must've gone well because they asked him back and arranged a job for him down the tin mine.

Us brothers had rugby running through our blood, and we grew up playing every single sport. All three of us represented Cornwall at cricket, and I also played senior county volleyball for Cornwall aged 13, against grown men. I just loved sport, it was my get-out, my freedom.

My old man really instilled in us this work ethic, which is such a great trait to have, so I never ever took rugby for granted, although I could probably have applied myself better when I was in Exeter's academy as a youngster. When I was told I wasn't been kept on, I was gutted. I was 20 at the time and our first child was on the way. I'd already played for Fiji by then, which might have stuffed up the long-term plans they had for me, because I was no longer English-qualified. But Nicky Little was going to retire and the 2011 World Cup was coming up, so I wanted to give it a shot.

It worked out fine because I got a two-year contract with Racing Metro (now Racing 92). We loved living in Paris and it was brilliant playing alongside world-class players who were very generous with their time in helping me develop as a player and as a person. I remember one game, Juan Martin Hernandez was at 10, I was at 12 and Francois Steyn was at 13, and Sebastien Chabal was at 8, and I am stood in the pitch thinking, 'What am I doing here?' We had a crazy team.