Transcript
KIERON FONOTIA: It was sort of one of those things I had to do when I got overseas, by the way sort of Super Rugby rulings of foreign players (with only a limited number of non-New Zealand eligible players allowed in each franchise) the easiest time for me was when I went overseas. So pretty much as soon as I got over there I messaged my manager and asked him to throw my name in the hat to hopefully try to get a selection.
VINNIE WYLIE: What does it mean to your family to be representing Samoa?
KF: Oh mate they're all pretty excited. They're all coming to the game, they're all flying from Christchurch, and I know my granddad is super proud and proud of where he comes from. You get a lot of messages from people you haven't heard from for a while, coming out of the woodwork, so it's pretty exciting times for the family and myself.
VW: So he was born there?
KF: Yeah, jumped straight on the boat (laughing).
VW: And obviously you're based over in Ospreys (in Wales) now aren't you...so now that you're there and you're amongst the team, what's the welcome been like, what's the feeling like in camp?
KF: It's a pretty tight group - a lot of these boys have been here for a while and you can just tell how passionate our team is about playing for their country and the people. Just going to training it's physical when there's a bit of contact and that's something i love about the team already. You can just tell the passion's there and it's a different feeling to what I've had in other teams: it's a lot more hearty, everything's a lot more hearty - it's hard to put into words.
VW: As someone who grew up here in New Zealand and just the fact the All Blacks are who they are, I mean that's a hell of a way to make an introduction to test rugby?
KF: If I get selected it would be an unbelievable feeling to play a test match against the All Blacks on Eden Park. If that opportunity did happen you wouldn't be able to write the script much better for me if that's the case, it'd be pretty awesome.
VW:You're obviously a midfielder - there's a bit of logjam there in the Samoan line-up, a lot of talent in the midfield ranks: the likes of Rey Lee-Lo, Alapati Leiua. There's no guarantees with anything is there?
KF: When you think about Samoan teams and players pretty much your loose forwards sort of come to head and your midfielders as big players as part of the team so just to be thrown in that category with all those guys at the moment it's pretty special. I know I've got a tough job to try and get a spot in the team.
VW: A special occasion for Samoa to have the match in Auckland as part of this double header with Tonga. There's probably going to be a very packed crowd with plenty of Samoan supporters there so how do you approach this one?
KF: Earlier in the week we went and had a parade (in South Auckland) and you just see how much it means to the Samoan community and how passionate they are about it so we just want to put pride in the jersey, not leave anything out there and obviously you never go into a game thinking that you're going to lose so we're going out there, I suppose, to create an upset.
