He’ll Kikau around a move back North
BARNSTORMING Fiji forward Viliame Kikau felt right at home during his fortnight stay in Townsville for the Rugby League World Cup.
It was the place where his rise into the NRL all began and Kikau has not ruled out the prospect of returning to Townsville in the future.
Scouted by the Cowboys in 2013 while playing schoolboys rugby in Fiji, Kikau was brought over to Townsville for a six- week training camp and was signed up.
He played 21 games of under- 20s in 2014 – his first season of rugby league – and in 2015 was again a key weapon for the young Cowboys, so much so that Sydney NRL clubs came calling.
Kikau, 22, signed with the Penrith Panthers midway through 2015 and says he did it with a heavy heart, but such is the nature of professional rugby league that Kikau found himself in the big city.
He has now spent two years in Sydney, a city where Kikau never thought he would live.
“I just take every day as it comes and then I got a contract down there,” he said. “Who knows, I might come back up here.
“It was ( hard) leaving here, going down to Sydney and everything, but I’m going good down there now.”
Kikau and his teammates stayed in Townsville for the sole purpose of get- ting their World Cup off to a positive start, which they did with big wins over the USA ( 50- 6) and Wales ( 72- 6).
But Kikau still found time to connect with old friends and family.
“I played two years of 20s here and it’s great to be back scoring tries at this ( 1300SMILES) stadium,” Kikau said. “I caught up with my homestay family and we had dinner and I caught up with a couple of mates.”
Kikau, a 120kg man mountain, had his best game of the World Cup to date on Sunday night, scoring two tries for the Bati and showcasing the raw talent that saw him crowned the 2015 NYC player of the year.
He left the field late in the game, but will be fine for this weekend’s final pool game against Italy after coach Mick Potter confirmed it was a cramp.
“There was no reason to keep him out there for the last couple of minutes,” he said. “He’s a good player, there’s no doubt about that. You guys have just seen what he can do.”
Kikau says Fiji can only get better as they begin preparations for their clash against Italy, who bounced back from a tumultuous start to their World Cup to thump the USA 46- 0 in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader.
“We want to have some old heads in the team just organising things at the back and we’re working on our defence,” he said. “For us it’s the pinnacle, it means so much to play for our country and it means a lot to me personally. To get the call- up and be here, I wasn’t expecting it, but I’ve taken it with both hands and made sure I’m doing the job.”