As a player for the NSW Waratahs, there is no better moment than when you run on to the cheer of a home crowd before the kick-off.
The welcome gives you wings, and you really do feel you are at home, playing for your supporters … defending our fortress.
When you think about it, that connect and sense of unity between a team and its supporters from a city made up of such a diversity of cultures is pretty amazing.
Likewise, for us in the NSW Waratahs, when you consider that we play as one … a team built of a starting XV plus eight reserves, plus the rest of the squad who may or may not be playing on that given day or night. The diversity of cultures among us is vast.
There are some twenty cultures represented within the NSW Waratahs squad; and I am sure that diversity is as strong in most, if not all, of the Super Rugby Pacific squads.
How fitting is it then that this week’s round of Super Rugby Pacific is ‘Culture Round,’ when the competition unites to celebrate all the cultures connected by rugby.
When you consider the varying histories, traditions, languages, and philosophies of those cultures which we will all recognise and champion this weekend, it says something about the strength of rugby as a force of unity.
We may be different in so many ways as individuals, but we are all united by our love of the game, no matter if you are a player in one of the two teams up against each other or a supporter for either side.
As an individual, I am extremely proud of my Tongan and New Zealand heritage. I am extremely proud of being a player for the NSW Waratahs and to be representing their fans. I am extremely proud of being a rugby player, and foremost a lover of the game.
As we prepare to face the Fijian Drua at Allianz Stadium in Moore Parke on Friday night, my thoughts go to three of our own in the NSW Waratahs with Fijian heritage – players Langi Gleeson and Mesu Kunavula and Director of Performance Simon Raiwalui who was behind the creation of the Drua.
How proud will they feel on Friday night, and excited by the opportunity to celebrate that heritage with us and their fellow Fijians.
So, let’s all get out there during Round 3 and be proud of who we play for or support, but also be proud for the unity we all share as members of the rugby community.
It is not only a game for all shapes and sizes, and skill sets. It is also a game for all cultures.
