Derenalagi shows maturity beyond age
Meli Derenalagi has proved that age does not matter when it comes to succeeding in rugby.
He was one of the staples in the Fiji Sevens side and one of the first man picked to represent Fiji at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The 22-year-old has shown maturity beyond his years and demonstrated that he is set for bigger and better things in the future.
Derenalagi is not new to rugby as his uncles Semisi Naevo, Apenisa Naevo and father Raru Vuniani Derenalagi have also played for Fiji in rugby sevens.
Derenalagi is known for his sublime skill and offloading ability and perhaps the reason his father has nicknamed him “The White Shark”.
Derenalagi had a big 2019 where has was promoted to the Sevens sqaud and ultimately becoming a core member of the team, being named in the World Dream Team and winning the World Sevens Rookie of the year award.
To top that all off, he was promoted to Able Seaman rank in the Fiji Navy.
He also captained the Fiji Sevens side to the first Sydney Sevens title in 2020 with a thrilling 12-10 win over South Africa in the final.
Reflection on the game
Derenalagi, looking back at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics journey, said: “It was a tough game, to be honest there were lots of difficulties and hardship faced.
“We had a strong bond as we eat together, even sleeping together just to prepare for the Olympics,” he told FRU Media.
“We trained as hard as we could. We faced setbacks since due to COVID a lot of our families were affected. Sometimes you could see (it) on the players’ faces.
“But we all came together and we just wanted to put a smile on peoples’ face(s) back home.
“Regardless of the curfew people celebrated all over Fiji. You could say that we did our job and put a smile on their faces, even in these hard times.
“After we beat Australia, we were hungry to win and we knew we only had two games left.
“We put our feet down and stood like a hard solid wall, so that no one could get across. Now we can celebrate this win with them and the people of Fiji.
“When we got back to the (Olympic) village after winning, on our face(s) you could see the amount of happiness we felt to represent our country. You could say that we did our job and put a smile on their faces, even in these hard times.”