'One of the highlights was whacking people with Sammy T'

Former Samoa international Johnny Leota is to return to New Zealand after 15 years as a player and coach at Sale Sharks.

Leota joined the club on an initial two-year deal in 2011 and his centre partnership with Tongan All Black Sam Tuitupou became the stuff of legend.

The all-Pacific pairing that took no prisoners on both sides of the ball and is right up there as one of the best midfield combinations in Premiership history.

“On the field, one of the highlights was whacking people with Sammy T. He was someone I looked up to, so when Steve Diamond told me he had signed for Sale, coming here to play with him was a no-brainer,” said Leota.

“For me, as a midfielder, the more you know your centre partner, the easier it is on the pitch.

“The opportunity to pair up with him was big for me because I grew up watching him.

“He has such a kid nature to him off the field but when he puts his scrum cap on, his persona changes to a Pitbull!

“When we played together, we didn’t need to talk, we knew what each other would do because of our connection off the field.

Leota made 135 appearances for the club in eight years, scoring 27 tries, before hanging up his boots in 2019.

Despite having a second ACL injury, he kept playing after his professional days were over – with Sale FC and then Lymm – whilst also getting a degree in Business Leadership and Management and working as a member of staff at the Sharks.

Leota held various roles, on and off the field, before joining the Sharks Senior Academy coaching staff.

Now he is set to return to New Zealand to coach his hometown club, Manawatu, who he spent seven seasons with before playing Super Rugby with the Highlanders.

When I asked him to recall his fondest memories at the Sharks for the My Life in Rugby column in The Rugby Paper, Leota picked a game against Gloucester.

“Asides from being paid to hang out with friends who became like brothers to me, there were obviously plenty of good and not-so-good times on the rugby field itself,” he said.

“If you asked me for a career highlight in a Sale shirt I’d have to say the game against Gloucester in my second season when I had the Mr T haircut.

“It was a way of raising funds for a boy called Luca who lost his legs through Meningitis. I grew my hair from the start of December [2012] until the Gloucester game [12th April 2013] and only raised £450, which I didn’t think was much. So, I posted [on Twitter] that if I got to £850 before the game, I would get a Mr T haircut, which I made and got the cut.

“I was quite nervous about taking my beanie off when we arrived at the ground because it was quite an outrageous cut. But I was lucky it didn’t affect my performance, the boys as a whole played well that day. After the game, donations started piling in and I raised £2,863. A good result, performance and for a good cause.

“There were plenty of ups and downs – apart from the time we were stuck in a hotel lift in Bath on a matchday morning for nearly two hours, going nowhere.

“It said a minimum of 10 people, and we had 8 in there but three of them were over 130kgs – Halani Aulika, Efion Lewis-Roberts and Brian Mujati. We had to put a couple of bottles in because the boys needed the toilet.

“Most of us saw the funny side but Mike Phillips was getting a bit jumpy as he didn’t like confined spaces.

“I can’t remember how Dimes reacted but it can’t have been too bad because if he was upset with you, you would know it. I liked that about him – he always told you how it was.”

Returning to the here and now, Leota says signing for the Sharks was a life-changing decision.

“I only planned to come here for two years and then I was going to go home and retire,” he said.

“To be still here 15 years later is incredible but I can honestly say that joining Sale Sharks was the best decision I have ever made – not just as a player but as a person too.

“I’ve done things I never thought I would so – like running a marathon and graduating – and I’ve made some incredible friends and made some amazing memories.

“I’ve been surrounded by so many good people and we’ve gone through some really tough times together but that helped us all create bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime.

“On the field, one of the highlights was whacking people with Sammy T. He was someone I looked up to so when Steve Diamond told me he had signed for Sale, coming here to play with him was a no brainer.

“Manchester and Sale Sharks will always have a really special place in mine and my family’s hearts and I’m really going to miss everyone at the club.”