ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Thursday Jun 17, 2021

‘I want to contribute something great to Tonga, my country' - Fekitoa ahead of switch

Malakai Fekitoa has said that the All Blacks changed his life, but he wants to “contribute something great” to his homeland Tonga ahead of his debut this weekend.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Wasps centre will represent Tonga in next weekend’s final Olympic sevens qualification tournament in Monaco, four years after he won the last of his 24 All Blacks caps. This will make him eligible for Tonga at Test level should he play at least 50 percent of their matches at the event this weekend.

Fekitoa spent the first 17 years of his life in Tonga before moving to New Zealand, but said on social media this week that he “dreamed of being an All Black” as a child, and representing New Zealand was “one of the most important achievements of my life.”

The World Cup winner also said that “life passes very fast” and he does not want to miss the opportunity “to contribute something great to Tonga, my country, my homeland and where my heart belongs.”

Fekitoa is one of four former New Zealand or Australia internationals that are hoping to switch allegiance to Tonga this weekend, which will be a major boost to the nation.

“Four years ago I played my last match with the All Blacks and I still remember like it was yesterday,” the 29-year-old posted online. ⁠

“New Zealand and the All Blacks gave me many opportunities, incredible experiences, changed my life and got me to the place I am today. As a child I dreamed of being All Black, at that time I was in Haʻapai (Tonga) and it seemed like an unattainable dream and achieving that was one of the most important achievements of my life.⁠

“I am very proud to have been a part of the best team in the world but at the same time I want to contribute something great to Tonga, my country, my homeland and where my heart belongs.⁠

“The time to do it has come, life passes very fast, and I don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. I want to be able to inspire others, the way I was as a child, to give back to those who inspired me.

“I am very fortunate to play alongside my brother and uncle and represent the country where I was born.

“I would like to thank every person that I have met along the way, who has helped me, who has contributed in my life and who has made my journey more enjoyable and pleasant.⁠

“Rugby is my life, my reason of being and as long as I am practicing this sport, there is nothing that can stop me from continuing to advance and grow as a person.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Malakai Fekitoa (@malakaifekitoa)

ADVERTISEMENT

RELATED VIEWING:

Video Spacer

Related Articles

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    Ellis Genge puts on his boxing gloves ready...

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    Crazy scenes as player deliberately kicks...

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    RFU make decision on transgender players...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 6 DAYS AGO

    Incredible Camera Work During URC Clash Shows Rugby Player’s Athleticism

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Heart Breaking Six Nations Ending For Italy As Scotland Score Long Range Try

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Montpellier Number Eight Zach Mercer Outlandish Attacking Skill

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Damian Penaud Pulls Off a "van der Merwe" in Outrageous French Try

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Ireland Winger James Lowe With World Class Finish In Titanic Battle With France

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Italian player cops nine week ban following on field bust up

  • 4 DAYS AGO

    Close Up Angle Of La Rochelle Secondrow Will Skelton Laying Into Opposition

  • 5 DAYS AGO

    Referee Luke Pearce Gets Hit Hard In Harlequins vs Saracens Clash

  • 6 DAYS AGO

    Owen Farrell On The Receiving End Of An Illegal Hit

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Refereeing Legend Nigel Owens Breaks Down Freddie Steward Incident

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea Moment Of Magic In Super Rugby Aotearoa

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    'Armchair athletes' berate Arundell's seriously impressive bench press

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Worcester Warriors - The End

  • 9 WEEKS AGO

    Sevens magic as 'headed' try brings stadium to its feet

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    Almost 35,000 have now signed petition to reverse new grassroots tackle laws

View All

Funnies

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Whole Irish squad turn up to teammates parents house for drinking session

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonathan Sexton Fantastic Comeback Caught On Ref Mic

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Hilarious Footage Of English Players Post Leg Day Workout

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Mack Hansen leaves viewers in stitches with hilarious post-match interview mistake

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    A Look Back At Rugby’s Greatest Ever Film

View All

Amateur

  • 12 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 12 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Italian player cops nine week ban following on field bust up

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Youth and experience combine in an effort to repeat Six Nations upset

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Wales international releases emotional statement after being offered contract that isn’t enough to feed family

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea causes outrage with ‘throat slitting’ gesture

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Smith, Marchant and Murley released from England camp to take part in 'Big Game 14'

View All