London Irish to honour Matt Ratana before Exeter Chiefs match

London Irish plan to honour Sgt Matiu Ratana, who played for the London Irish amateur side, after he was shot and killed at a police station in Croydon last week.

Ratana, known as 'Matt', arrived in the UK back in 1989 and played for London Irish's amateur side, known as the Wild Geese, before continuing to remain heavily involved in the community game in England.

In a tribute to Ratana, the amateur side described him as "a formidable front-row player, a great entertainer and a friend to all", remembering Ratana's impact on tours to Sicily and Marbella. "He was a true gent and dedicated police officer and will leave a gap in our hearts on and off the field," the statement added.

The amateur side and professional London Irish sides maintain a close relationship and Declan Kidney, the Gallagher Premiership club's director of rugby, hinted that the Exiles will pay tribute to Ratana on Wednesday ahead of their away fixture against Exeter Chiefs.

"It has come up. It has been in lots of emails and we have been discussing the appropriate action to take," Kidney said.

"[During this press conference] we have been speaking about Covid-19 and the effects of it, and then there is a man who is just going out to do his daily job who doesn't come home. How sad is that, you know?

"It is something that has affected the people here, especially the people who knew Matt. Our sincere condolences obviously go out to his family and we are taking a look to see what is the most appropriate action."

Irish also play on Sunday against play-off contenders Bristol Bears to round off their Gallagher Premiership season, playing at The Stoop, their temporary home ground, before moving into the Brentford Community Stadium for the 2020-21 campaign.