Two-try star Mataitoga ’grateful’ for Loughborough Lightning role

Bulou Mataitoga is ‘grateful for the opportunity’ to play in Loughborough Lightning’s eye-catching backline that is making hay in Premiership Women’s Rugby this season.

The versatile USA international has started the last five games on the right wing as part of a back three that has seen Canadian Krissy Scurfield rip up the league scoring nine tries in as many games and English fullback Francesca Goldthorp earn a Red Roses call-up.

Mataitoga got in on the tryscoring act at Kingsholm in the PWR Round 13 encounter  with the ninth and tenth tries of her Lightning career – and is now just four games way from a half century of appearances.

Lightning’s other tryscorer in the West Country was Mataitoga’s compatriot Alev Kelter, as the USA star moved to five tries in seven games since arriving in November 2024.

“It is so amazing to play off of them, I just feel grateful for the opportunity,” said the 30-year-old after the 36-19 loss to Gloucester-Hartpury. “You play with new people every year and I just feel like, especially with Fran and Krissy, I just feel like they have added new dimensions to our game. They are so fun to play with.”

Mataitoga’s first try of the game – and the 2024/25 season – saw her finish well in the right corner after a neat exchange between Emily Scarratt and Scurfield.

However, the second was all of the American’s making as she managed to wrestle the ball free from a Gloucester player to then rise up from the turf and sprint home largely undetected by the players around her.

“It was really weird, I think in that tackle there was probably three of us,” she said. “I got my arm around it to go for the strip and then all of a sudden I looked up and everyone was facing the other way. I just kept going towards the tryline, I thought the referee was going to blow the whistle. It was one of those situations where you are like ‘did that just happen?’. He didn’t blow his whistle and I was like, cool!

“The first one was a full set up from the team, we went all the way down the left side then all the way down the right side. It was a proper team try.”

Ultimately, Lightning got back on the bus with no match points for their efforts as they now prepare for their penultimate home game of the season when Exeter Chiefs visit cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday (kick-off: 3pm) – tickets are available by clicking HERE.

“It was a bit disappointing to come just short of that try for the fourth try that could  have got us two bonus points,” Mataitoga said. “But there was plenty of positives to take from the game and we’re looking forward to another big week ahead and what is going to be another challenging game against Exeter.”