Success no Fife dream for Sasa

THE usual journey from Auckland to Edinburgh involves a stopover or two, a transfer in London, then the short hop from the English capital to our own. Sasa Tofilau took a slightly different route. Via Kirkcaldy.

Still, while unusual, it was not a unique path for the 22-year-old to follow. After having played for Australia’s under-20s and the Chiefs development side, Tofilau found himself with a bit of spare time last summer, so answered a call from Kirkcaldy coach Quintan Sanft – like him, born in Samoa – to come and help out in the Fife club’s midfield.

Having grown up in Auckland then won a scholarship to Brisbane in his early teens, Tofilau saw Sanft’s offer as a chance to see another country and play some rugby rather than a purposeful career move. “I was back home, and I got a phone call from Quintan asking if I had anything on during the off-season,” he explained yesterday.

“I said no, he asked me to experience Scotland, so I decided to tick it off my bucket list and I came to play in October last year. I never intended to stay.”

Yet Tofilau quickly made an impression, and after just a handful of games for his new club, he came to the attention of Edinburgh Rugby. He was invited to train with the professional team from around the turn of the year, picked up a Melrose Sevens winner’s medal in April, and then signed a one-year contract at the end of June.

The PRO12 is a significant step up from National Division Two, of course, but Tofilau intends to meet the challenge head-on.

At 6ft 1in and close to 17 stone, he packs a powerful punch, all right. But no matter how successful he may become this season, he will remain thankful to Sanft and Kirkcaldy.

“I knew I could do it,” he added. “I backed my talent.”