Red Rising – Matt Peni on recovery and consistency

Matthew Peni scored a try in last year’s Jubilee Cup semi-final won by Marist St. Pats 24-3 over Oriental Rongotai. Peni’s joy assisting the Reds to the finale was short-lived.

“I took a nasty head gash and had to wait in A&E until midnight to get it repaired. They put nine staples in my head and the doctor advised me not to play the final,” Peni laments.

Peni missed the whole of 2015 after rupturing his Achilles tendon at the Tawa 7s tournament. In 2016, he missed an additional 12 weeks, the victim of ankle and hamstring injuries. Peni had his own advice for the pessimistic doctor.

“I didn’t want to miss the final because of a cut. Are you serious? I said it will be ‘sweet as,’” Peni reveals.

In the stuff of legend, the big No.8 scored two tries against Tawa in the decider, but is modest about his rousing effort.

“I was lucky to score two tries. Nemani Waaka pushed me over the line for the first try and all I had to do was pick up the ball to finish the second one.”

Peni’s two tries were the only maximums MSP scored in a narrow 24-20 defeat. Peni explains MSP didn’t utilize their strength in the backs enough that day.

“It was a great occasion and a close game, certainly one of the most memorable I have played, but when I think back on it we should have used our backs more. We had the likes of Fa'atonu Fili, Ryan Setefano and Michael Buckley and didn’t involve them enough.”

Peni has been involved in 14 games this season, the most rugby he has played since 2014 when he was selected for the New Zealand Under-20’s which featured present All Blacks Anton Lienert-Brown and Damian McKenzie.

“When I was recovering from my Achilles injury I was in a cast for two months and a moonboot for three. I didn’t start running until November so it took a long time to recover. I think being fit and playing consecutive games has increased my confidence,” Peni enthuses.

Peni believes he is less harsh on himself without the pressure of playing for a National team, but he hasn’t abandoned his professional ambitions.

“Rugby is still the number one career, but for now my focus is on MSP. We are starting to build momentum at the right time of the season,” Peni says.

There are three weeks left in the season and MSP are a chance of hosting a Jubilee semi-final if they can beat Swindale Shield winners, Old Boys University.

“It was a nail bitter when we played them in the first round so we owe them one. It will be a tough game. OBU are the benchmark so we will have to best at our best to beat them,” Peni insists.

MSP was inconsistent in the first round winning just eight out of 13 games, but have only dropped one game in the Jubilee Cup.

“We are starting to get some injured players back and express ourselves more. Michael Buckley, we are now calling the slippery Eel. He has scored some extraordinary tries this season,” Peni warns.

Peni has scored four tries this season, all of them in the same game against Paremata-Plimmerton.

Peni is the middle of three children and works in building. His youngest sister is eight years old at St. Anthony’s School while his oldest sister works for Eftpos in Dunedin and is dating former MSP and Otago prop Donald Brighouse.