FROM BACK GARDEN TO CUP GLORY
The Kiwi brothers who can send Wasps flying into the final
THE Piutau brothers’ ‘unreal’ adventure will reach new heights today when they join forces again in the colours of Wasps, 11,000 miles from home, with the aim of reaching the Champions Cup final.
It has taken a remarkable sequence of events for the Kiwi siblings from a Tongan family to find themselves playing rugby together for the first time since their childhood games in the garden, in the suburb of Mangere, south of Auckland.
Due to the age gap between the All Black wing Charles, 24, and 30- year- old centre Siale, who represents the land of his parents, they didn’t think the day would ever come when they would line up for the same team.
But after Charles announced a year ago that he was joining Ulster this summer, New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen left him out of the country’s World Cup squad. Suddenly available for this season, Wasps pounced to secure his services and he has repaid them in fine style. Yet, Siale had been on their radar first and Dai Young brought him in on a short-term deal after his latest campaign with Japanese club Yamaha Jubilo.
Their first ever appearance side-by-side in an organised match culminated in Wasps routing Saracens — their opponents in Reading this afternoon — 64-23 at Allianz Park in February.
They have been mainstays of the charge towards domestic and European titles since. It has been a joyous but surreal episode, which will be over all too soon — with Charles moving to Belfast in June and Siale returning to Japan.
‘If someone told us we’d be playing together on the other side of the world, we’d have laughed,’ said Charles. ‘But we’re here now and it’s unreal.’
Siale added: ‘It’s been a blessing. Growing up, we always played backyard footie and always spoke about one day doing it together.
‘To do it here with Wasps, with the way the team have been going — wow! It’s difficult to put into words how special it is. Our goal is to come away with some silverware. That would make it even more special.’
The recurring joke between the pair is that Siale was the dominant figure when they were children, due to his age advantage, but now the tables have turned.
He said: ‘Charles couldn’t even do his shoelaces up by himself back then. But it’s me trying to keep up with Charles these days.’
His brother added: ‘That’s why I learned to run fast. Because of the big age gap I stayed in the house!’
For Charles, this unexpected family reunion is healing fresh wounds. Being omitted from the All Blacks’ World Cup squad hurt him but the success of the spell with Wasps — and with Siale — is a consolation of sorts, although he has unfinished business at home.
‘With everything that happened — missing out on the World Cup and all that — coming here and getting this opportunity, I guess it is worth it,’ he said. ‘But hopefully one day I can go back and have a crack at another World Cup. This will be one of the biggest highlights of my career. To look at photos and say we were able to run out together.’
The Piutaus at Wasps are just two of a 10- strong clan of five brothers and five sisters. Their parents emigrated to Auckland from Tonga in search of better opportunities. They worked hard — father Manako as a taxi driver and mother Melenaite as a rest home nurse — and four of the boys went to Wesley College, which had educated the late Jonah Lomu.
‘At Wesley, Jonah’s face and jersey and presence was always there, looming large,’ said Charles.
‘For our parents to put us into Wesley gave us the chance to do well,’ added Siale. ‘They heard of Jonah and Wesley, everyone referring to the college as somewhere where rugby players are born.
‘But they didn’t really push us to play rugby and with them both working all the time they didn’t really come to our games.’
The work ethic rubbed off. Charles worked in a pie factory and as a carpenter before breaking into the Auckland-based Blues team to play Super Rugby. Siale spent a year in Huddersfield after school, working in a factory.
Today they can enjoy the fruits of their labour.