Young star lured to France
After talking it through with his parents and his agent, Tima Faingaanuku sought advice from Google. He wanted to be 100 per cent sure that he was making the right move by leaving New Zealand behind at 21.
It is not a well-travelled path for a young rugby player who aspires to play for the All Blacks, but, after missing out on a Crusaders contract, the promising Tasman wing wanted to challenge himself in a completely foreign environment – one where he could continue his development as a professional player.
So, after reading up everything good about Perpignan on the internet, Faingaanuku came to a decision. He signed a oneyear deal with the Top 14 strugglers and moved into an apartment near the beach as it reminded him of his hometown, Nelson.
‘‘I came to a decision where I thought I may as well experience it because the Crusaders were full. I just wanted to be playing, being out there getting game time. It wasn’t because of the salary, I just wanted to challenge myself and to learn,’’ Faingaanuku said.
‘‘I sort of just realised that I’m still young, I’m only 21, and not many people come over here at a young age, especially when you’ve already been in the Super Rugby setup, you usually just stay. But I saw this as a chance to put myself in a real independent situation and, to be honest, I’ve been loving it so far.’’
Faingaanuku, a member of New Zealand’s World Rugby Under-20 Championship-winning squad in 2017 with three seasons of Mitre 10 Cup experience under his belt, said his dream has always been to play for the Crusaders and the All Blacks. But, despite ticking off the first goal when he made his Super Rugby debut against the Chiefs earlier in the year, he failed to secure a contract for next year.
Instead, coach Scott Robertson signed his younger brother, Leicester Faingaanuku.
‘‘I had a few offers but I was waiting for another Super Rugby crack with either a wider [training squad] or full contract but it just shows how hard it is to get in the Crusaders,’’ he said.
Although he is enjoying the change of scenery, Faingaanuku said the language barrier has proven to be a challenge. He woke up hungry on the first day and didn’t know how to order breakfast. But he is slowly picking up the language and is even eating croissants and drinking espresso each morning like a local.
Faingaanuku made his starting debut in a 22-10 defeat to Connacht on Sunday.
Seeing as his contract is just for one-year, Faingaanuku is not ruling out a return New Zealand in the future and he certainly has not given up on his All Blacks dream either. Wherever his career takes him next, he just hopes the experience with Perpignan will improve him as a player.