Believe in yourself. You may not be the biggest, the strongest, the most able or the quickest on the team, but that shouldn’t stop you reaching your goals or being the best you can be

- Matt Brookes, Senior Squad

Name: Matt Brooke

Roles within the Club: Player although soon I’ll be taking an active role in helping arrange training kit, tracksuits and suchlike for members.

Previous Clubs and playing career to date:

Fullerians RFC
Hertfordshire/Saracens Academy
Loughborough Students
East Grinstead RFC

Why do you do it (the rugby thing)?
For the pure love of it! The banter, the team spirit, the friendships that are forged on and off the field, that feeling where you stuff an opponent or beat a local rival, that first big hit you make on your opposite number, slotting the converstion that wins the game....the list could go on!

Tell us about your day job and life outside of EGRFC?
I moved to East Grinstead 2 years ago having lived north of London. It's an easy commute into the capital for my work. I work for a mass participation and corporate events company called Human Race. We deliver a wide range of sports events all across the UK for either specific clients or the general public with events ranging in size from 1,000 people to 20,000 people.

Outside of work and rugby, life is similar to most other mid-twenties...eat, gym, socialise, sleep, repeat.....with a few holidays away thrown in for good measure.

Who is your admired player in history and why?
I cannot choose just one...Tain Randell and Jacques Burger (both ex Saracens). Each player exerted everything and left it all on the field to both get the win and support their fellow team mates. Leading by example, and motivating those around them, they were true warriors and role models to aspire to. Here is one of those amazing “all 15 player tries” where Taine Randell eventually gets it over the line https://youtu.be/eTxTKJ3HTCA. Burger is recognized as a tackling God – there are not many games on this planet where you can be ‘man of the match’ and never touch the ball! https://youtu.be/Ngy-EYiqqC4

What are your favourite rugby moments and why?
My favourite moment in rugby was Saracens winning the 1998 'Tetley Bitter Cup' (now the LV Cup) when they thrashed local rivals Wasps 48-18. It was the first season i started playing and supporting my local team Sararcens....little did I know at the time that they wouldn’t win another major trophy for over a decade which makes the memory more special. Of course the 2003 RWC winning moment was pretty class also!

What advice do you have for our aspiring players?
Believe in yourself. You may not be the biggest, the strongest, the most able or the quickest on the team, but that shouldn’t stop you reaching your goals or being the best you can be. Everyone always brings something to a team that others either don’t or can't which is why the game requires 15 players per team not just a few! Find out what the best part of your game is, and work on it to make it even better as within a team it will always be needed.