Matthew Watkins delighted in his different aliases. At school he was called “Manfred” while his girlfriend and future wife became “Sabine”, a consequence of their studying German together. He then differentiated himself from both a contemporary and another Welsh rugby player of the same name by inserting his middle initial. Commentators would refer to him as “MJ”, which linked him to players immortalised in Welsh rugby history. Watkins won 18 caps as a creative centre from 2003 to 2006.

Source: The Times March 20, 2020 17:11 UTC