Exclusive: Former Argentina captain Pablo Matera rejects Bath deal due to off-pitch turmoil

Former Argentina captain Pablo Matera turned down a big-money contract offer from struggling Bath due to uncertainties surrounding the club’s off-field restructure ahead of the new season, Telegraph Sport can reveal.

Matera, who starred in his country’s 26-18 win over Scotland in Jujuy last weekend, will instead become one of the world’s highest paid rugby players after signing a contract worth in excess of £1million a season with a club in Japan.

The 28-year-old flanker, who won a Super Rugby title with the Crusaders in New Zealand last month, had been on the verge of signing for Bath as the West Country club’s marquee player in February. Matera was keen on the move and has experience of English domestic rugby thanks to a short-lived spell at Leicester Tigers in 2013/14.

Telegraph Sport understands, however, that Matera chose to explore options abroad due to the erratic nature of the club’s former chairman, Ed Griffiths, in contract negotiations.

In May, Griffiths left the club - which finished bottom of the Premiership table last season - after less than six months as chairman, having initially joined in a consultancy role before taking over control of on- and off-field matters from Bruce Craig at the Rec. On the same day as Griffiths' exit, Bath confirmed former Munster head coach Johann van Graan as their head of rugby from this summer, with club stalwart Stuart Hooper moving to a general manager role at the club.

As Telegraph Sport revealed in May, tensions between Hooper and Griffiths had rumbled on behind the scenes at Bath for months, causing further disruption to an already desperately difficult season for Bath. Relations came to a head when Griffiths changed the destination of a team training camp without