NZ Rugby lays out big future for Vili the Kid
In the space of a few short months, Vilimoni Koroi has gone from schoolboy to sevens star.
The 18-year-old was a shock inclusion in the New Zealand sevens squad following the national tournament in Rotorua in January, having impressed interim coach Scott Waldrom and his assistant, Tomasi Cama.
Cama has been watching young Koroi for some time, getting him involved in Manawatu sevens camps when he was still at Feilding High School. He’s long been a player with a big future in Cama’s eyes.
Born and raised in Whanganui, a crucial part of Koroi’s ability is in his genes. His parents are Fijian, and as Cama puts it, ‘‘there aren’t many Fijians who don’t know how to play sevens’’.
So when he first took the field for New Zealand, it felt natural for the teenage sensation.
A massive step up from taking the field at Feilding High School, Koroi has made the transition seem easy with a number of dazzling displays in black, playing as New Zealand’s main playmaker.
‘‘When I was playing, it took me four or five years to be any good,’’ Cama, widely regarded as New Zealand’s finest sevens player, recalls of his own career.
‘‘For Vili, it took one tournament. He’s an amazing talent.’’
Watch Koroi play and you’ll start reminiscing about watching Cama play in his prime. It might be seen as unfair to compare him to Waisale Serevi, but he’s another sevens great who Koroi can conjure images of, such is his natural ability in the game.
Still incredibly raw, Cama said Koroi needs to take important steps with his decision-making.
‘‘Luckily, he’s almost always good enough to get out of trouble,’’ Cama said.
‘‘We don’t want to doing that.
‘‘You learn from your stop him mistakes, He’s an amazing talent. but we want him that a bit more.
‘‘He’s got a team there, so it’s about using his teammates, using their power, and not doing it all yourself.
‘‘We definitely don’t want to stop his natural instincts though. That’s a really important part of his game, so we encourage that.’’
Koroi himself is almost unaware of his early success with New Zealand.
This is a kid fresh from playing college rugby. The step up has been huge, he says, and when he plays it’s just about learning from his experiences.
If he’s being honest, things haven’t gone to plan for Koroi since leaving school.
He planned to head to Dunedin on a building apprenticeship. He would play rugby down there, of course, but it was important to set himself up for the future.
Since January, Koroi has spent about a week in Dunedin. The building apprenticeship? It’s on hold. He’s a professional athlete now.
‘‘I came down to study, but then to think about got called into the New Zealand team so I’ve had to put the studies to the side for a bit,’’ Koroi said.
‘‘It’s good, though, obviously. I’m loving playing sevens. I guess I’ve made a bit of a name for myself out there in the wide world which is cool.’’
For Koroi, making a name for himself can only be a good thing.
For coaches of the New Zealand sevens team, it can only mean they will lose their best playmaker next season, all going to plan.
New Zealand Rugby have sat down with Koroi to help plot a course for his rise up the rugby ranks.
The plan, should Koroi continue to deliver, would see him progress from sevens to Mitre 10 Cup for Otago later this year.
Perform well there, and a Super Rugby contract would follow for a speedy, creative wing or fullback.
Take it a step further, and one day Koroi could get the call-up to the All Blacks.
‘‘I’d love a Super contract. I guess that’s the goal at some point, but I’m loving the sevens at the moment.
‘‘I’d be happy to play for another year if that’s what happens.’’
Koroi is the first player to go through the progressions incoming coach Clark Laidlaw has laid out with NZ Rugby.
It’s about creating a plan for young players like Koroi who aren’t quite ready, or proven, to play in Super Rugby, or perhaps the Mitre 10 Cup.
Sevens can be a good place to hone your skills, adding to your talents in the 15 man game.
Laidlaw spoke in January about proving his environment could develop players, and gaining the trust of Super Rugby coaches.
The kicker is that when the Olympics comes around in 2020, these young players will want to come back to sevens, and Super Rugby teams will have the faith to allow and encourage it to happen.
New Zealand Rugby high performance sevens manager Tony Philp said, all going to plan, that is the path Koroi is headed on.
‘‘Everyone is aware that he’s a very talented rugby player and also, just as important, he’s a very good person,’’ Philp said of Koroi.
‘‘He has incredible ability to learn quickly and is motivated and driven to succeed, so he certainly has a big career in rugby.
‘‘The challenge really is, first year out of school, we need to give him the support and guidance to develop him to his potential, and work with our rugby family to make him.
‘‘We’ve got a very clear plan in place for Vili for the year, in line with Otago rugby, to ensure we give him every opportunity.’’
Given his age, and not wanting to risk burnout, Philp suggested Koroi could be rested from the last couple of world series sevens tournaments as a result of that planning.
NZ Rugby want to encourage him to get his studies under way in Dunedin, take a short break from sure we get the best out of worrying about rugby, and then turn his attention to Otago’s domestic campaign later in the year.
That’s all up for discussion, but shows how carefully Koroi will be managed in order to make sure he isn’t a young talent who burns out before he needs to.
It’s a process that watched with interest.
Should it work, expect Super Rugby sides to have more faith in the sevens programme, and more players like Koroi to thrive on the world stage. should be