Matt Banahan

Matt, a winger, has already represented England at the highest level of rugby, scoring a try on his debut. In the 2007/8 season Matt was his club's top try scorer and the Premiership's regular season's second highest.

Matt Banahan (born 30 December 1986 in Jersey) is a rugby union player for Bath in the Guinness Premiership. His main position is wing, and he can also operate as an outside centre.

Banahan grew up playing field hockey, earning selection to the Jersey and West of England junior representative sides before he decided his hockey career was stalled and switching to rugby union. He was previously with the London Irish Academy and was brought to the Recreation Ground, home of Bath RFC, originally as a lock forward.

England Rugby

Matt has been part of the England Sevens squad in the 2007-08 IRB Sevens World Series. He was also selected for the England Saxons squad to play in the 2008 Churchill Cup and scored 3 tries on his debut. He then scored two tries against Ireland A and one in the final which they won.

Jersey-born Matt celebrated his England Saxons debut by scoring a hat trick in England's 64-10 victory over the USA in the opening round of the 2008 Barclays Churchill Cup.

Matt played for England on Saturday 30 May 2009 against the Barbarians at Twickenham in an uncapped game where he scored a try.

He made his full England debut on the 6th June 2009 in a comfortable win over Argentina at Old Trafford where he also scored a try.

Matt celebrates his try against Argentina at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester. June 6 2009

Club Rugby

Banahan joined Bath Rugby from the London Irish Academy in the summer of 2006. The giant wing, who only took up rugby a few years ago after deciding that he was not going to get any further in his hockey career (he has represented Jersey and the West of England), has also been involved with the RFU’s Junior National Academy set-up and, more recently, England's sevens set up.

Unsurprisingly given his physical attributes, he started as a lock but switched to wing where his powerful combination of size, strength and speed made him a potent weapon in the Bath United and Development sides, for whom he scored ten tries in fourteen games last season.

Quickly promoted to the first team from the Academy set up, the lethal wing has made many first grade appearances and finished the 2007/8 season as the club’s top try scorer (16) and the Premiership regular season’s second highest (10) behind Leicester’s Tom Varndell (13).