Family, friends refuel Rayasi's passion for rugby

BY MATT TWORT

Less than a year ago Salesi Rayasi's rugby dreams were over. A stint in the Canterbury Rugby Academy saw Rayasi lose his passion for the game as basketball became his calling.

Rayasi told Canterbury Rugby that he had done his time with rugby and that he would be returning to Wellington to chase a US college basketball scholarship. However, Rayasi's father Filipe - an accomplished professional rugby player himself - and mother convinced the young winger to give rugby one more try.

That he did, joining the Upper Hutt Rams Premier side late in their Swindale Shield run with immediate impact, scoring a hat-trick, including the game-winning try in the dying minutes. And despite his on-field success, Rayasi credits the familiarity of home and his teammates as to why he was able to begin enjoying rugby once again.

"Having the guys I knew like [Daniel] Schrijvers, Kaide [McCashin], all those guys that I went to school with, made me enjoy my rugby right then and there. They made it easier in terms of enjoying the game," said Rayasi.

Rayasi continued to impress across the season with the Rams, earning an eventual call up to the Wellington Lions in their last round-robin game of the season, starting on the left wing, which Rayasi relished.

"I got a phone call telling me to come to Lions training the week after I played Tasman Development... I trained for two days and then they named me in the squad as a starter. It was a good experience seeing the next level - what's above club rugby and development level."

Go back to early 2016 though, and a debut for the Lions would have been the last thing on Rayasi's mind as the dream of playing basketball in the US overtook his ambitions.

Rayasi's love for basketball spanned back to his high school days at St. Patrick's College, Silverstream where he was the leading scorer in the Senior A team for two years. In fact, the bulk of Rayasi's high school days were consumed by basketball as he dropped rugby between the years of 2011 and 2013 in favour of basketball.

Then in 2014 - Rayasi's final year of high school - he decided to partake in the Marist 7s Tournament at the beginning of the year in what would prove to be a turning point in Rayasi's life. Awarded tournament team honours, Rayasi was also named in the New Zealand Marist 7s team which toured Samoa later in the year.

Rayasi also excelled in the 15s form of the game in his final year of school, being a regular try scorer for the Silverstream 1st XV, highlighted by his four-try outing against eventual National Champions, Scots College.

The standout of Rayasi's playing days at Silverstream came in the final of the Condor 7s qualifiers, edging out Scots College in the final play of the game, earning a trip to the national tournament and ultimately paving the way for Rayasi's time in Canterbury.

Since then the 20-year-old has accomplished a lot in rugby circles, playing for Canterbury 7s, Samoa under-20s, Wellington Lions and taking part in the New Zealand 7s training camp both last year and this year in preparation for the first leg of the World Sevens Series which has been a great help to Rayasi in showing the life of a full-time rugby player.

"It's helped me out a lot. Just seeing what it takes to be a pro. Seeing the work ethic you have to have and all the little things - training, morning stretches, making sure you always have a water bottle in your hand, hydrating, what to do before and after trainings and nutrition. I've learned a heap."

Those learnings were on full display last weekend last weekend as Rayasi led his Upper Hutt Rams side to victory in the American Ambassador's Cup, scoring 11 tries in five games including a hat-trick in the final to cap off an exceptional tournament.

And just as quickly as Rayasi is adapting to new environments, he is rising up the national 7s ranks. If all goes to plan in Rayasi's eyes, he could be getting on a plane to Dubai in less than two weeks' time as the newest member of the All Black Sevens.