Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto wants to show there's a pathway for all as he reflects on reaching 50 Test caps.
Salakaia-Loto will bring up the half century on Saturday against the All Blacks in his home city of Sydney.
It's a special moment for the Queensland Reds lock, who migrated from Auckland at a young age
Growing up in Liverpool, Salakaia-Loto started playing rugby league before switching to rugby union at 17 after catching scouts' eyes.
He quickly impressed and earned Australia U20 honours, debuting for the Wallabies against South Africa in 2017.
A large group of family will be watching and in the stands, with Salakaia-Loto embracing the full circle moment to play against his country of birth.
“It's definitely something I never dreamed of as a little kid," he told reporters.
“Growing up here in Australia, going to school and seeing the opportunities that this country has provided for myself and my family and now to my kids is really special. I love this country and to be able to represent them 50 times is something that's not lost on me.
“To play the All Blacks in my 50th, where in Sydney, where I grew up and went to school and where I have a lot of family and supporters, I guess not many people probably get the opportunity to do so, so it's a special occasion and one where we are keen to rip in.”
During Salakaia-Loto's decade in the sport, his priorities have shifted after welcoming three young girls into the world.
In doing so, he hopes a new generation of talent from Western Sydney will be inspired to follow his lead and experience the game.
“I’m just trying to show to my kids that you can do anything you put your mind to and just sharing that experience with them," Salakaia-Loto explained.
“I didn't dream of doing this as a kid growing up and to find myself where I am now and to share that with my kids is really special.
“...I was born in New Zealand, migrated to Australia, and we grew up out west of Sydney, so for me there's a lot of people that look like myself that look out there, they probably aren't engaged with the game of rugby, and I think the more we can tap into that space and provide opportunity for those young boys and girls to experience our game and understand what our game has to offer, not only on the field, but off it, is huge.
“For them to see one of their own represent them or represent the country on the big stage is probably something that hopefully is inspiring for them."
The lock's motivation extends beyond the milestone game as they enforcer looks to lift the Wallabies from a disappointing defeat last start.
Coach Les Kiss has made several changes, including the inclusion of Declan Meredith as flyhalf after an upper leg injury for Ben Donaldson.
Salakaia-Loto said regardless of who is at flyhalf, the fowards need to step up their game to meet the might of the All Blacks.
"It's important for the forward pack to lay the platform and for us as forwards, that's something that we take huge pride in," he added.
“We felt like we probably didn't do the best job for our backs and for our tens last week, so for us, we've got to roll our sleeves up and go to work. We know the good things come off the back of the platform that we set.
