Roko dedicates his try to troops
TANk soldier Semesa Rokoduguni hailed his ‘special’ England comeback after the winger scored a try on Remembrance Day. The 30-year-old touched down in the second half of his first England appearance since last year — before dedicating the score to his military colleagues. Rokoduguni is a member of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and served in Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick in 2011. ‘It means a lot to get over and score a try on Remembrance Day,’ said Rokoduguni. ‘It’s a special day for me. It is about going out there and representing the Army as a whole, all the guys who have been there before us and those boys who are serving right now. It is an honour and a privilege. ‘It says on my contract that I’m a soldier first and a rugby player second. I dedicated my try to my regiment and the boys out there. A few of my Scottish boys phoned up and said, “Congrats mate, I can’t believe we’ve been cheering for England!”’ ‘A couple of my mates out there have been through quite a hard time. Some of the guys were casualties, so for me to be representing them made it an emotional day for me.’ Rokoduguni came on for Mike Brown. The full-back is doubtful for Saturday’s Test against Australia, although Rokoduguni will face competition if Jonny May recovers from a hamstring injury.