One look from selectors took trainee sparkie Rokolisoa to Sevens stardom
Akuila Rokolisoa has little trouble finding his way into highlights.
The dazzling All Blacks Sevens playmaker was the leading points scorer in the HSBC World Sevens Series last season with 415 points as New Zealand won five of 11 tournaments and a 14th overall title.
Rokolisoa was nominated for World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year and scored 44 tries, just three short of the All Blacks Sevens single-season record held by Karl Te Nana.
The humility of Rokolisoa is striking when asked what his personal highlight was.
“The Sydney Sevens. We won and only conceded four tires. Joe Weber drives the defence and that whole tournament everyone was into the system. Working hard for each other is what this team is all about,” Rokolisoa told RugbyPass.
Winning five tournaments in a season was New Zealand’s best effort since seven victories in 2001-2002.
What underpins the All Blacks Sevens’ uniquely selfless culture?
“Understanding each other, our unique individual cultures, sharing what we each go through, what motivates us, and fighting for what we love like family,” Rokolisoa responded.
“Our biggest opponent is us. The way we train, what we do at home, the more we do to get better, the tougher we are to play.”
Innate ability helps too. Rokolisoa moved from Fiji to New Zealand in 2005. He attended James Cook High School and was a rugby league player for the Manurewa Marlins. He had little awareness of Sevens but was captivated by the little he saw.
In 2018, while training to become a sparkie, he was invited to play for Counties Manukau at the National Sevens. It was the only look National selectors required.
“It’s a bit surreal looking back. I was contacted by Clark Laidlaw saying I was needed, but I didn’t get a contact.
“I played for the development squad and then I got picked for the Commonwealth Games in Australia where we won the gold medal,” Rokolisoa reflected.
“My first World Series event was in Dubai. I got injured in the warmup. That was a special tournament though because we won it with nine players.
“It’s a huge honour representing New Zealand. There have been so many proud moments.”
Rokolisoa has won the World Series twice and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Sevens World Cup.
He shares much in common with All Blacks Sevens coach Tomasi Cami, the 2012 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year.
“Tomasi is pretty similar to me. We share the same culture. He’s taught me to play what’s in front, and how to be a good professional. He’s helped me with analysis and vision on the field.”
The All Blacks Sevens will have to have their wits about them if they are to successfully defend their World Series title.
For the first time since the inception of the competition in 1999, the series will be contested under a new model and name.
The HSBC SVNS features seven regular-season events plus a Grand Final.
The top eight placed teams based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the seventh round in Singapore will secure their opportunity to compete in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final in Madrid, where the women’s and men’s HSBC SVNS 2024 champions will be crowned.
Argentina was second place last season winning three tournaments.
The Pumas threat looms large. They boast Marcos Moneta (106 tries in 122 games) and World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Rodrigo Isgro.
Fiji, South Africa, and Australia are perennial contenders while Samoa and Ireland are vastly improved. Does Rokolisoa like the new format?
“I don’t know about that one. Maybe I prefer the old format because that’s what I know,” he said.
“It’s a bit niggly but it doesn’t stop us from turning up and doing our job every tournament.”
The All Blacks Sevens have won the Dubai Sevens six times and are grouped with defending champions South Africa, Samoa, and Canada.
Pool A – All Black Sevens Head-to-Head
South Africa: 62-36
Canada: 42-3-1
Samoa 59-21-2
Comments on RugbyPass
Amazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
1 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
1 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
1 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to commentsHarlequins doing their best to do as little damage as possible with all the possession. Looks like they skipped catch and pass drills this week.
7 Go to commentsSeeing pictures of Jacques high-fiving it with Irish players breaks my heart. Too soon. I need more time.
1 Go to commentsquins is all over the place. The minute they get the ball they panic. Quins can still win tho just need to win all rucks otherwise just don't bother.
7 Go to commentsGreat wins for the male & female kiwi sides. Ireland not far away..
1 Go to commentsWhy is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
2 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to comments