Rugby players on the whole are really nice guys. I’ve
written before on reasons we should love rugby. The link is here,
if you’re interested. One of my favourites to talk to is Kahn Fotuali’i. His
honesty, his manner, and his ever present smile make him one of the most
approachable. So when I had the chance to chat with him, I looked forward to
it. He rocked up on his bike, noticeable from a distance as he rolled down the
edge of the pitch. Sat in the soon to be demolished members bar at Franklins
Gardens, we had a chance to catch up.
You see, a year ago, at a Northampton charity event where
they took over the local Cineworld, I was sat around, waiting for the film to
start. It was The Amazing Spiderman 2, a great film to see with rugby players,
who have a surprising childish side at times. Anyway, I was busily munching on
a hot dog, when a voice asked “is anyone sitting there?” I looked up to see
Kahn looking down at me and I gestured for him to join me. We got to chatting
about his move to the Gardens, his family, and the local walking spots, and it
was a very nice chat. We’ve bumped into each other over the season, as is often
likely when you go to as many games as I do, even an evening with the Polynesian
players where he laid out his reasons for not going to France, but this was a
chance to catch up a little. By the way, much as I’d like to, I can’t publish
his reasons for not going to France. It’s just not repeatable, but it supports
something we’ve all suspected about France.
(Image copyright Getty Images)
Our first topic was the upcoming World Cup. As one of four
Samoan Saints to have been selected in the training squad, we discussed the
return to Stadium MK against Japan. I wanted to know if the familiar ground for
him, the Pisi’s and the newly resigned Ahsee Talua would give them a sense of
leadership.
“No, not so much. I think the supporters that go to that
game will be closer, because of the Saints. For us, it’ll just be nice if we
get selected for that game. It really comes down to the team, and the
leadership of the actual game.”
I then brought up our first meeting, and asked him how the
relationship with the fans has developed, now he’s been here a second season.
“It’s been awesome, right from the start when I first got
here. It’s a smaller town, but the fans are really into their rugby and the
Saints. But they’re not too full on, you can walk down the street and they’ll
say “hi” or “good morning.” They don’t push you. I know some players, not
amongst the Saints, but in other clubs around the world, some fans will just do
a nice thing by asking for this and that, but players do get a little annoyed
by it. But it’s been amazing here, it’s been cool, people let you go about your
business. It’s enjoyable. I can’t speak highly enough of them.”
We did broach the topic of the Leicester game coming up this
weekend, and his thoughts were that the preparations get more intense because
of the rivalry, and he’s heard the Saints record against Leicester isn’t great,
but it would be awesome to change the record. “We can get on top of them. “We
know that we can beat them.” And he rejects the idea that the Saints had the
hoodoo when he arrived, saying the chat was there that it was their time to
push on. Clearly, that attitude worked for the Saints with last year’s
semi-final. He does offer praise though, for Ahsee Talua, or Ace as he’s know,
for coming across without his family, but now the contract is sorted out, his
family will be joining him, and Kahn fully expects the Ace to get better with
the club.
(Image copyright Getty Images)
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