New Chief Solomona Sakalia looking forward to Super Rugby

Above: Solomona Sakalia packing down with his club teammates last year in a match against Tawa. Clockwise from top left: Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Bernie Upton, Lua Lokotui, Solomona Sakalia and Liu Taituave

It’s fair to say that Solomona Sakalia has largely flown under the radar in his professional rugby career so far. But all that could change in 2013.

In just under three years the impressive loosehead prop has gone from making his Wellington club rugby Premier debut with Marist St Pat’s to training? hard with the Chiefs who this week have been preparing to face the Hurricanes in the Battle of the Brewery at Mangatainoka in the final Super Rugby pre-season match for both sides.

This season could be the start of big things for the quietly spoken former New Zealand U20 Rugby World Cup winner with a genuine passion for all things rugby.

And he’s playing his rookie Super Rugby season for the Chiefs no less. The defending Super Rugby champions.

He was contracted to the Chiefs late last year soon after making his ITM Cup debut for Wellington and making seven appearances for the Lions, including three starts at loosehead prop alongside his MSP teammate and tighthead, Jeff Toomaga-Allen.

Sakalia is one of three loosehead props in the Chiefs squad, along with incumbent Toby Smith (Waikato) and Pauliasi Manu (Auckland), and has been soaking up the Chiefs environment like a sponge since he joined the franchise in early December.

“I’m loving it up here, it’s been a really good environment to come in to,” he said.? “I can see why they won the title last year, with a lot of emphasis on the little things and doing those things right. The coaches too, they’re really detailed.”

It’s a new team and new city for Sakalia, but past experience of playing with several of his Chiefs teammates has helped in making his introduction relatively seamless. Four of his former New Zealand U20 forwards teammates, Ben Tameifuna, Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane and Michael Kainga [Chiefs Wider Training Squad], are Chiefs teammates, plus he played with Charlie Ngatai and Ross Filipo in the Lions last year.

“I already knew quite a few of the boys here, such as Ben, Brodie, Sam and Mike Kainga from playing with them in age-grade teams, so it wasn’t that hard a transition to come into this environment.”

Sakalia and last year’s All Blacks Wider Training Squad player Tameifuna anchored the 2011 New Zealand U20 scrum to a 33-22 victory over England in the final, with last year’s 13-Test All Black Retallick at lock, 4-Test All Black Cane at flanker and former Wellington and Petone age-grade teammate and now Bay of Plenty prop Kainga on the bench. Other players in that side included Brad Shields, TJ Perenara and Lima Sopoaga.

He also counts Kainga as one of his flatmates. “I’m living with Mike and [Hawke’s Bay wing]? Tino Nemani. We’re staying at Rototuna, which is 15 minutes from our training base, so it’s working out well.”

Sakalia is a specialist loosehead prop, but has also played at Premier club level and before that in college First XV rugby variously at tighthead prop, blindside flanker and No 8. With Toomaga-Allen and former Samoan international Kas Lealamanua also in MSP’s team, Sakalia played at blindside flanker in MSP’s Jubilee Cup final win over Oriental-Rongotai in August last year.

“At this level I see my role as being a mobile loosehead prop, but at club level I’m happy to play in the loose forwards. We’ve had a lot of good front rowers at MSP these last few years like Jeff, Kas and [Wellington Lion] Arden David-Perrot so I’ve been happy to accommodate.”

He’s also got a background in rugby league - on the wing. “As a junior I played rugby union for Northern United in Porirua, then I had a break and came back at U14 and U15 level playing rugby league for local club St George. I hardly touched the ball though -? I think they put me out there so I wouldn’t get my hands on the ball so much!”

At Wellington College, he switched back to rugby union. “I made the U15s team at Wellington College and I have played rugby since then.”

He was part of the 2009 Wellington College First XV that won 19 of 22 matches and averaged over 40 points a game. He was one of four players from that team to make the New Zealand Schools team, along with wing Hanipale Galo, Lions and Highlanders first five-eighth Lima Sopoaga and another prop on the rise - Reggie Goodes.

He graduated to club rugby the following season, playing most of the 2010 Swindale Shield and much of the Jubilee Cup.? He made such an impression in this rookie club season that he won the MSP Premier team’s MVP award.

In 2010 he also won the WRFU Academy’s? Ken Comber Memorial Cup, awarded to the Rugby Academy member who best embraces the Academy philosophy. The following year, 2011, he won the WRFU Al Keown Cup as the Academy Player of the Year. Al Keown was also a prop who played over 100 games for Wellington and captained the 1978 NPC winning team. ?

He sat out much of last year’s club season with a back injury, before returning towards the end of the Jubilee Cup round and then making the Wellington Lions ITM Cup squad.

Solomona is not the only rugby playing loosehead prop in his family; his brother Vincent starred for the Wellington College First XV last year and made the New Zealand Schools team.

“He’s coming along nicely, said Solomona, “he’s been training recently with the Wellington Academy and has starting going to MSP pre-season training.”

Solomona Sakalia is also a student of the game. “I’ve got a few rugby books at home and I enjoy flicking through them. I love my old school rugby books, such as autobiographies like Wilson Whinneray’s, Colin Meads’ and Richie McCaw’s.”

He made his debut in Chiefs colours two weeks ago in Taupo against the Highlanders, before missing last week’s second pre-season game against the Reds due to illness after picking up an infection that spread through the team.

The Chiefs are playing the Hurricanes tomorrow, then play their Highlanders in Dunedin in their competition opener, host the Cheetahs in Hamilton and then embark on a two-match tour to play the Stormers and the Kings. Solomona’s many supporters will be hoping he’s on the plane to South Africa.

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