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by Andrew Fa'asau
Samoa News Correspondent
The recent one-week tour of Rarotonga by the local Avele Laumaalili rugby team would not have been possible had it not been for a son of Samoa now living in that country.
In an up-close and personal interview with Vaivase Samania who negotiated with the Avele Laumaalili management and took care of accommodation details for the team, he revealed his pleasure at having the chance to meet friends from his alma mater in his adopted country.
"The Avele coach Tommy Elisara is an old friend and school mate of mine at Avele College," he told Samoa News. "When he called and told me about their intention of a one-week tour of Rarotonga, I immediately notified my club's executive council and they agreed to host the team."
Vaivase first set foot in Rarotonga in 1989 while he was still a student at Avele College, as a member of the national Under 16 rugby team which toured Rarotonga that year.
Playing at fullback, he was instrumental in helping his team win all their four games with his accurate goal kicking and elusive running. It was to be the first of many rugby trips of his career and it would have been for his country, had he not met his future wife Tangata Havi, who was a student at Tereora College that year.
His performance also impressed rugby scouts in Rarotonga so much that he was invited back for the next five years to play sevens rugby and provided the opportunity for romance with his fiancee to bloom.
Vaivase Samania hails from the village of Moata'a in Samoa which is one of the original powerhouses of rugby union in the independent state up to this day. It has produced many national players as the likes of Taufusi Salesa, Lolani Koko, Anitele'a Aiolupo and To'o Vaega to name a few, including the greatest flanker to have worn the All Blacks no. 6 jersey, Michael "Iceman" Jones.
Vaivase's family lives close to the border of Moata'a and the neighboring village of Vaivase-tai for which he is named after and where many of his relatives reside.
The eldest of five children born to Uli and Faletolu Samania, he has two brothers and two sisters.
He began his education at Vaivase-tai Primary School because it was nearer, and his secondary education at Avele College. He then pursued his tertiary education at the Samoa Polytechnic Institute where he graduated with a trademan's diploma in Carpentry and Joinery after completing his four-year apprenticeship.
Meanwhile, his performance in the Moata'a team had caught the attention of the Samoa Rugby Football Union (SRFU) selectors who identified the natural potential Vaivase possessed, and in 1991 included him in the national development squad.
However, he was already getting international experience from the annual sevens rugby tournaments in Rarotonga that he was invited to with other young promising Samoan players.
In 1995, he traveled to Rarotonga accompanied by his first cousin Toa Samania by invitation to play in the annual sevens tournament. When he returned to Samoa, he had made his decision to return to Rarotonga and marry his fiancee who had given birth to their son. So he resigned from his job and moved to Rarotonga.
In his adopted country, he played for his wife's village team Takuvaine and when he had satisfied International Rugby Board (IRB) regulations that required a player to reside in a country for one year before he can represent that country in international competitions, he was selected in the Cook Islands national rugby league team that competed in the Oceania Rugby League Tournament in New Zealand in 1996.
In 1997, he was selected to play in the Cook Islands national rugby union sevens team that competed in the annual Fiji Sevens Tournament. As of this year, he has not missed selection and has been promoted to captain the team.
In 1998, he was part of the Cook Islands team that competed in the Fiji Sevens and the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. In 1999, they competed in the Fiji Sevens, Singapore Sevens, and the Touch Rugby World Cup in Brisbane, Australia.
In 2000, they competed in the Fiji Sevens and the IRB International Sevens Circuit in Wellington and Australia. In 2001, the team competed in the Sevens World Cup in Argentina, and the Wellington Sevens where he scored two tries and defeated the Manu Samoa Sevens team 12-7. Both his younger brother Ailaoa and first cousin Toa Samania were in the Manu Samoa team.
In 2002, the team competed in the Hong Kong Sevens, Wellington Sevens, Brisbane Sevens, Paris Sevens and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.
In 2003, Vaivase was asked to captain the team, an offer which he had turned down before because he felt it would be disrespectful to his teammates. However, the soft-spoken Samoan sevens wizard had earned the respect of his Cook Island teammates and they finally persuaded him to accept the captaincy.
As captain, he successfully rallied his team and defeated the Manu Samoa sevens team a second time in the South Pacific Games in Fiji that year by kicking the winning point.
It was another thrilling performance by the Cook Islands as the underdogs that surprised many spectators. They were the first to score a try and Vaivase converted it to give his team an early seven-point lead. Near halftime, Manu Samoa scored their first try which was also converted to tie the game 7-7.
In the second half, Manu Samoa scored their second try and the conversion attempt was unsuccessful and they led 12-7. However, it was the final minute of the game that Cook Islands scored their second try at the corner of the field, and Vaivase succeeded in banging the ball between the uprights from the difficult angle which resulted in a 14-12 win.
That same year, they also competed in the Wellington Sevens, Hong Kong Sevens and were invited to participate in an international sevens tournament in Sri Lanka.
This year, Vaivase led the Cook Islands team to the Hong Kong Sevens and the Wellington Sevens.
When asked what his plans were for the future, the 33-year-old rugby veteran stated that he wants to resign and concentrate on coaching. At present, he coaches the Takuvaine 15-a-side and sevens rugby teams and the Te Au o Tonga district sevens team.
He stated that he had in fact handed in his resignation letter to the Cook Islands Rugby Union (CIRU) stating that he felt he had come to the end of his playing days and that it was time for new blood.
However, the CIRU were reluctant to let him resign and informed him that they had done research on IRB records and found that he had played a total of 95 international games for the Cook Islands. They then requested if he could put off his resignation for a period of time where he could play five more games to make his record 100 games, a feat no other Cook Islander has accomplished.
The CIRU also have plans to send him overseas to train as an international coach when he eventually resigns.
"I am very grateful to the CIRU for the many opportunities they have given me to represent the Cook Islands and I hope I have given something back," the rugby veteran stated modestly. "There are a lot of people I would like to thank for their support over the years like Tekura Potoru or 'Papa Steak' who has been like a father to me, the Samoan community in Rarotonga, my friends, in-laws and especially my wife."
He stated that he has plans to move to New Zealand sometime in the future but he wants to return to Rarotonga.
"I like it here," he said. "It's more like Samoa where if you want something, all you have to say is 'faamolemole.'"
Osini Faleatasi, Inc. dba Samoa News reserves all rights.
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