Faifili far from finished

“I don't take any jersey for granted,” Faifili Levave stresses when addressing his return to Northern United.

Off contract after two seasons with Mitsubishi in Japan, Levave is seeking another overseas deal. In the meantime he has returned home and is hungry to help the Swindale Shield champions continue their fine form.

“I was doing my own training, but there is nothing like rugby training so I approached coach Gerrard Fasavalu, who is an old family friend, and asked him if I could train with Norths. Gerrard agreed. I then asked if I could play. I was happy to get 30 minutes last Saturday,” Levave explains.

Norths have won 11 games in a row. How does Levave slot in alongside an already powerful loose forward combination?

“I don’t want to interfere too much. I want to do the job I’m assigned and help the younger guys if I can,” Levave responds.

In 2004, Levave helped Norths win their first Jubilee Cup. He was a year out of St Pat’s Town and a day later completed a University assignment en-route to a degree in Management.

Levave played 49 games for the Wellington Lions and was part of Norths sides that won additional Jubilee Cups in 2006, 2008 and 2010. Levave attributes much of Norths success in this period to his late friend Jerry Collins.

“Jerry was massive for Norths. When I was at St Pat’s Town, MSP tried very hard to get me, but when Jerry went home from Town he opened up the pathway for the likes of Robbie Fruean, Serge Lilo and John Schwalger to also join Norths,” Levave acclaims.

Sione Lauaki is another pivotal figure in Levave’s rugby life. In 2008, Faifili played a season with the late All Black at the Chiefs.

“Sione was the first guy to befriend me at the Chiefs. I think he was a bit intimidated by me because I was a hungry loose forward from Porirua who looked and played like him,” Lavave recalls.

“They couldn't separate us in appearance but obviously I'm a lot prettier so I became lil wax and it's stuck,” Levave continued laughing.

Norths badly missed the explosive power of Levave between 2012 and 2016, spending each season in the Hardham Cup. Levave played 67 games for the Hurricanes until shifting to the land of the rising sun in 2014. Any theories on why things fell apart at Norths?

“I think Gerrard at Norths is similar to Mark Hammett at the Hurricanes. When Hammer first arrived at the Hurricanes he rattled a few cages because he had a vision which was firm, but not everyone agreed with. Some things needed to change and they did which is awesome. How good have the Hurricanes become? Norths is the same. There is a great balance and culture at the club.”

Levave has spent the best part of half a dozen seasons in Japan also playing for Toyota Verblitz and Honda Heat. How does Japanese rugby stack up?

“The standard of rugby is similar to the NPC in New Zealand. I really like the lifestyle in Japan. The food is great, the people are friendly and the cost of living is pretty good. The other day I paid $5.50 for a medium coffee in Town. What’s going on?” Levave observes.

Levave is available for Lions selection.

Levave has played 16 tests for Samoa, including four appearances at the 2015 World Cup. Samoa hasn’t won a test since November 2016. Levave last played against Fiji in 2017. The national team is in crisis. Is the 2019 World Cup a goal?

“That’s a tough question. I’m monitoring what’s going on, but I don’t have anything else to say about that,” Levave answers.

Levave is from a talented sporting family. His brother George received a scholarship for American Football in Idaho and played age grade basketball for New Zealand while little sister Sanita has represented the Black Ferns and is a senior member of the Wellington Pride and Norths Women’s team.

This Saturday, Norths host Hutt Old Boys Marist in Round 4 of the Jubilee Cup. Hutt beat Norths in their second round Swindale Shield encounter 17-47.