Laumape shows that he’s a people person
Not a lot makes Ngani Laumape’s eyes light up, in an interview situation. Humble and softly spoken, the Hurricanes second five-eighth doesn’t relish talking about himself. So it’s the Kingdom of Tonga coat of arms tattooed on his left shoulder that tells the biggest story on this occasion.
Tonga’s run to last year’s Rugby League World Cup semifinal was as unexpected as it was thrilling and uplifting; especially for two All Blacks looking on half a world away.
‘‘Me and Vaea [Fifita] were watching them on the end-of-year tour and we had nothing but huge respect for the boys on what they did and how they backed themselves. It gave me and Vaea huge encouragement and motivation when we were playing on the end-of-year tour. As a Tongan boy, I was just happy to see the Tongan brothers go out there and do the job,’’ Laumape said yesterday.
It doesn’t matter if they’re Tonga-born, like Fifita, or a boy from Palmerston North, such as Laumape, the bond between the Tongan players is a feature of many New Zealand sports teams. It’s also, partly, why stars such as Jason Taumalolo or Andrew Fifita opted to play for their nation of origin, rather than New Zealand or Australia, at that league world cup.
‘‘As a Tongan nation we know how hard our parents work. We were pretty much given nothing when we were young, but we know how hard our parents sacrificed for us boys to get where we are and there’s no better way [to thank them] than to go out there and play well for your family and country,’’ said
"I could always hear my mum on the sideline telling me to run harder or telling me to stop crying." Ngani Laumape
Laumape. ‘‘My parents have been a huge part in my rugby career. I remember days when we pretty much had no petrol to go to rugby games, but mum and dad always found a way to get me there.
‘‘I could always hear my mum on the sideline telling me to run harder or telling me to stop crying.’’
There’s a lengthening line of defenders who probably wish that hard running had never been encouraged. Few players carry the ball more strongly than Laumape, although the toll of that’s not restricted to him.
‘‘I was fairly battered after that Crusaders game. That was probably the sorest I’ve ever been after a game,’’ Laumape said of last week’s 29-19 win over the Crusaders.
The 24-year-old is working hard to add kicking and passing to his repertoire but, for the time being at least, it’s his ball-running that’s the stand-out attribute.
Some get the luxury of carrying front-foot ball. In Laumape’s case, if the Hurricanes scrum is going backwards or there’s an untidy tap-down from a lineout, the ball’s inevitably shovelled to him. With the defence bearing down on him, you’re almost tempted to call out ‘good luck, mate’.
Laumape insists he’s just happy to do whatever the team requires. And often that means hitting the tacklers way harder than they’re looking to hit him.
‘‘I just close my eyes and hope for the best,’’ he chuckled.