91Èȱ¬

Cornish full-back Josh Matavesi has left Exeter Chiefs to join French Top 14 side Racing Metro.

The 20-year-old, who spent two and a half years at Sandy Park, has been drafted in to replace injured Racing stand-off Martin Hernandez.

Matavesi said: "If I'm honest, I don't really want to go because of the boys and that.

"But I need to play rugby if I want to improve and opportunities like this don't come along very often."

Matevesi started his rugby career at Mounts Bay while still a student in Truro, before moving to the Chiefs in 2008.

In December 2008, he was called up to the England Under-20 squad but quickly decided to represent Fiji, his father's home country, instead.

Matavesi made his debut for Fiji in November 2009 and has subsequently won five caps, but opportunities at Exeter have been limited.

He said: "I haven't played a huge amount this season and you just want to be playing at a young age. You just want to run around with the ball.

"But I have been looking into a move for a few weeks now and this is a fresh start for me.

"The 2011 World Cup is in the back of my mind, but first I have to get myself into the Racing squad and get used to what they do."