Flying Fijians lock Temo Mayanavanua eyeing test debut

Northland lock Temo Mayanavanua is excited to take the next step after being selected in the Flying Fijians rugby team.

The former Fiji Under 20s skipper is one of 12 uncapped players in the 32-man squad named to compete in next month's Autumn Nations Cup in Europe.

The 22 year old made his international debut in Fiji's Killik Cup win over the Barbarians last year but, with Covid-19 continuing to cause havoc around the world, the prospect of playing test rugby this year wasn't even on his radar.

"To be honest I wasn't really looking further than (playing for Northland in) Mitre 10. I'm a person who takes one game at a time, one season at a time," he said.

"I like to narrow my focus because that's how I give my 100 percent in whatever I do. I honestly thought because of the Covid restrictions to travel and stuff, the eight nations Flying Fijians team would have been made out of just Fijian players in Europe."

But new Fiji head coach Vern Cotter had other ideas and Mayanavanua received the good news before Northland's opening Mitre 10 Cup clash against Manawatu last month.

The Suva Grammar School old boy made the move to New Zealand in 2018 on the advice of his uncle, Olympic gold medal winning Fiji sevens captain Osea Kolinisau, after turning down a lucrative contract in France.

"I grew up and I was raised in his house and him and his older brother were the ones that advised me: 'If you want to really chase to become a great player you've got to go to these countries...New Zealand, Australia', he said.

"A lot of people said that I made the wrong decision by turning down contracts from France at that young age, because I got an opportunity to earn good money at an early age but for me it was all about developing and, for me, I honestly thought that I wasn't ready yet to chase that money."

Not long after he received a phone call in church from former Flying Fijians prop Graham Dewes, who was coaching the Waipu club in Northland and was in desperate need of a powerful presence in the second row.

"He said: 'I won't guarantee you a spot in the Mitre 10 for Northland but what I guarantee you is I'll try and give you an opportunity to play club rugby here'. While he was still talking I was so excited I just cut his talk and I told him just get me over to New Zealand and I will work myself out just to reach that goal."

After two seasons with the Taniwha, Mayanavanua earned a surprise call-up to the Flying Fijians squad at the end of last year and even managed to score a try on debut in the Kilik Cup win over the Barbarians.

"The highlight of that tour was being able to play alongside idols that I only get to watch on television - the likes of Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Patrick Osborne," he said.

"And the knowledge that they have and the culture and the environment that they created for the young players that are coming through they welcomed us with open arms, and I think that's how we were so comfortable in exposing what we can do."

It also helped that he knew a number of his team-mates, having played alongside them in the Under 20s team and Fiji Warriors.

"I had played alongside Eroni Mawi, Frank Lomani coming up, Tuvere Vugakoto - those guys that played with me in the under 20s while I was coming up in my age-group," he said.

"I've also played alongside the likes of Seru Vularika last year and Mosese Voka - those people that went to the World Cup and played with them at the Fiji Warriors, and we were part of the academy for Fiji with Mesu Kunavula, who's know with Edinburgh, and Mesu Dolokoto. It wasn't a new feeling, just playing alongside the brothers."

Having followed in the footsteps of Fijian rugby legend Rupeni Caucaunibuca with Northland, the soon-to-be 23 year old now find himself poised to play alongside another Flying Fijians legend.

"We never know when is the next time we'll ever play alongside these great names and the likes of Nemani Nadolo, who came back from his short retirement from international rugby, and Leone Nakarawa who plays in the same role as me," he said.

"This is an opportunity where I would go and learn off them and continue to learn and continue to be students of the game and learn as much as I can in this tour. I always tell myself to be like a sponge that just soaks up water of knowledge out of all these experienced players."

The Flying Fijians open their Northern tour against Portugal on 6 November before kicking off their Autumn Nations Cup campaign against France nine days later.

Temo Mayanavanua raised plenty of eyebrowns when he turned down a lucrative European contract but, three years later, he made it to France anyway, on his own terms.