YOUNG GUNS
REKEITI MA’ASI-WHITE SALE & ENGLAND U20s CENTRE
Introvert Rekeiti Ma’asi-White is hoping to use the Six Nations U20s experience with England to improve on his communication skills. Ma’asi-White, 20, is the son of Tonga born, former Cornish Pirates and Ampthill hooker Vili Ma’asi and while both his older brothers also operate in the front row, Rekeiti bucked the trend in his family and instead opted for the centres.
The 6ft 1in, 16st 2lbs No.12 was instrumental in England’s 41-36 triumph over Scotland last weekend in what was Ma’asiWhite’s seventh U20s appearance. He said: “It was a really special occasion playing at The Stoop for the first time and I was surprised by how good the atmosphere was.
“We’ve been pretty connected as a group in the first two weeks with all the new boys coming in. There’s been a couple slip ups but they are easy fixes that we can take control of. I fully back the boys, especially the debutants as we know they can pull through.
“Individually I’m trying to lead by example on and off the pitch. I’m not the most vocal person but I know I need to be better at that going forward especially with the World Cup later in the year. From a young age, I’ve known communicating is important and can often provide a useful link between the forwards and the backs.”
Ma’asi-White is a product of Wasps’ academy and made six Premiership Cup appearances for the Midlands side before their financial demise left him redundant.
He said: “It was very tough especially for the academy boys as it’s harder for them to move on. It’s one of those scenarios in which we couldn’t do much about, you just got to move on through it and focus on yourself and what’s better for you.
“When the news broke up I couldn’t believe it, we all thought beforehand that it would be sorted in a few weeks. So, it was a big shock but a lot of us have moved on to other clubs. It’s good news about them coming back in the Championship, you never know I could go back at some stage.”
Sale came calling for the dynamic back who possesses an arsenal of attacking flair, and despite the cold weather in Manchester, Ma’asi-White is enjoying his time up north.
He added: “Everyone’s really friendly up there and helped me settle in, so I’m grateful to all the boys at Sale. I’m enjoying it so far although not the weather. I’m normally a shirt and shorts guy but I’ve got to wear hoodies everywhere here!”
With his Tongan heritage, Ma’asi-White idolises fellow players with Pacific Island backgrounds particularly England star Manu Tuilagi and former All Blacks Ma’a Nonu and Malakai Fekitoa.
He said: “When I was 12, my uncle got me a Manu Tuilagi shirt so I’ve always been watching him growing up and been a fan of his. Ma’a Nonu’s been pretty influential in my game in how he carries the ball and creates space acting as a triple threat with his handy kicking as well.
“And recently Malakai Fekitoa really helped me at Wasps. He would review my clips every weekend and has messaged me tips every now and then.”