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Hosea Saumaki 'Tongan Godzilla' joins Sunwolves squad

By Ben Smith
Saumaki is Japan's next global Superstar

We labeled the relatively unknown Hosea Saumaki, as ‘Japan’s next superstar nobody knows about’ in November last year and predicted that would change in the near future.

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That prediction is starting to come into fruition – Saumaki will have the chance to make a name for himself in Super Rugby after being added to the Sunwolves 2018 squad today, in addition to centre Will Tupou and scrumhalf Yutaka Nagare.

With the Sunwolves now competing in the Australian conference, Saumaki’s chances of having a boom rookie season are increased. We have no doubt that Saumaki’s attacking power will surprise a few wingers, despite some concerns about his defensive abilities.

Watch: Japan’s next superstar nobody knows about

Nicknamed ‘The Tongan Godzilla’, Saumaki has been coming through their system for a number of years and has been destroying his opposition in the Japanese Top League.

The gigantic winger is in the similar mould to other iconic left wingers like Lomu, Nadolo, and Savea.

 

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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