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Wellington U19 profile: Maile Koloto

Jubilee Cup Premier | 28 July 2016 | Adam Julian

Wellington U19 profile: Maile Koloto

Above: Maile Koloto scoring the winning try in Old Boys-University’s first round last-gasp win over Oriental-Rongotai earlier this season, and being congratulated by his teammates.

The Wellington U19's won the inaugural Graham Mourie Cup at the National Jock Hobbs Memorial event in 2014. Last year they underwhelmed and finished fifth. Leading up to the 2016 tournament, Club Rugby will profile some of the young Lions who are likely to feature in the tournament and who are the future of the game in the capital.

"I moved to Wellington because Auckland was too big. I wanted to learn independence, get on the road with my mates and try my luck in rugby and study elsewhere,” Maile Koloto explains of his move to the capital in 2015.

Despite two successful years in the Sacred Heart College First XV, Koloto was hardly a sought after high school rugby player.

"I got dropped from lots of teams at Sacred Heart and didn't even get a place in the sports academy. Most of the leading rugby boys were in it and had a sports period every day. I didn't make a single Auckland rep side," Koloto laments.

The wing and midfield back was identified as a promising prospect by former Sacred Heart coach and Waikato representative Dave Dillon. Koloto praises a crucial mentor.

"I didn't play rugby until Year 7. I was late to the game and I was a slow learner. I was playing touch at Sacred Heart and Dillon suggested I try out for higher teams. I made the First XV in 2013 as a Year 12," he recalls.

Sacred Heart reached the semi-finals of the 1A competition, but Koloto did a lot of bench shifts. The school magazine reported, "needs to work on his defensive reads, and soft hands in the pass."

RLM

The following year Sacred Heart won 16 out of 20 games and again reached the semi-finals of 1A. However Sacred Heart had a team with the talent to win a National championship. Daniel Tupou affectionately known as the 'Tongan Thor' captured worldwide headlines for his devastating play and Koloto was a regular starter in a beast midfield which featured Amanaki Savieti who has a professional contract in Japan. Sacred Heart beat eventual National Champions Scots College 43-0 in the pre-season. What's Koloto's theory on the curse of Sacred Heart - they haven't won a 1A title since 1965?

"I don't know. We give it heaps, we are so passionate about it, but for whatever reason we can't take the next step. It didn't help we played St. Kent's twice in the semis. They basically buy their whole team. We import a few players, but are mostly home grown. That game against Scots was the best I was involved with. We never quite reached those standards again which is a mystery," Koloto says.

On the subject of scholarships Koloto applied for a scholarship at King's College and was rejected. He only made it into Sacred Heart because of a connection his father shared with the headmaster. Jim Dale was formerly a PE teacher at Palmerston North Boys' High School where Maile's father Emosi Koloto wreaked havoc on the rugby field.

In 1982 and 1983 Emosi Koloto was a damaging loose forward who became the first player to be selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools in consecutive seasons. In 1983 Emosi scored 19 tries in 18 games for the First XV. After 31 games and 24 tries for Manawatu, Emosi arrived in Wellington for the 1988 season. He scored 17 tries in 16 games, including two in the Lions 38-22 win over Wales at Athletic Park. That performance earned Emosi a professional rugby league contract for Widnes in England. In 1989 Widnes won the World Club championships and Emosi was later capped five times by the Kiwis.

Maile was born in the North of England and moved to New Zealand when he was five years old. Emosi is Tongan. He played for Tonga against Wales in a rugby test in 1986. Mother Susan, who now works for the Ministry of Justice, is English.

Emosi played for Avalon and Maile spent his first season of club rugby at the Wolves. He played 12 games for the Premiers and scored two tries in a season where Avalon only won five games.

"It was tough, but it was good character building. I liked the people at Avalon. They were very kind to me," Koloto reflects.

Koloto studies commerce at Victoria University and flats on the Terrace. He moved to Old Boys University this year for convenience.

Emosi was renowned for producing spectacular moments and in the opening five rounds of the Swindale Shield, Maile followed suit. He scored the winning tries against both Marist St. Pats and Oriental Rongotai.

"Against MSP our fullback Jono Ihaka found some space down the left hand side. He got tackled towards the touch line, but popped the ball up for me. I received it flat-footed and bumped off the first defender. I saw some space and put the foot down and beat another two defenders on the way to the try line."

"The Ories try was in the last minute. That was a crazy game. We were down 25-24 and I didn't know what was going on. Luke Harvey made a break and he gave it to Sam Coventry, Coventry then gave it to me and I had one defender to beat with two defenders coming across. Fortunately I got there and we won."

Old Boys University won the Swindale Shield for the first time, but fell away to narrowly miss the Jubilee Cup semi-finals. Koloto was the victim of injuries. Despite appearing in eight more games, (most from the bench) he suffered a subluxed shoulder and a slipped disc in the back. His early season form earned him selection for the Wellington U19 squad.

"I am so excited to be picked. The trainings we have had have been awesome. I really hope I make the final selection, but there is so much talent in my position. Willie Schutz, Losi Filipo, Kerrod Foaese, Willey Fine, Peter Umaga-Jensen. The backs are going to be awesome, Koloto enthuses.

Koloto's sister is a talented netball player. He ranks Greg Foe (Poneke) and Ryan Setefano (MSP) as the toughest players he has confronted in club rugby. Koloto ends by illustrating the most important things in his life.

"Family, friends and school mean everything to me. I loved Sacred Heart and most of my best friends are from there. I flat with Trent Harris, Mitchell Butler and Josh MacKinnon who are all OBU boys. Dad and I are extremely close. He moved back to Auckland last year after working out in the Hutt for a while. We communicate every day. We have our little jokes and sayings.He has been extremely supportive of me, but there has never been any pressure to be like him. He has encouraged me to be myself. He is very humble about his achievements. I hope I can make him and everyone close to me proud."

Watch Maile Koloto score a try for Old Boys Unversity in a 23-19 win over Marist St Pat’s earlier this year here

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