Royal, 37, credits partner Kelly Morrison as the inspiration for his efforts to stay fit since January while his time with NPEC in 2022 helped rekindle his love and passion for rugby.
“I’m connected with the Moana Pasifika team as an alumni and got a call from Kevin Senio, their high performance manager, on Monday to come in this week,” said Royal, who is injury-free and whose Pasifika crew will look for their first win of 2023 against the fifth-placed ‘Canes in Round 12.
“The Moana Pasifika environment is like the Coast set-up — at its core are family values — so it’s easy to fall back into that routine.
“Once you get the first training out of the way, get your voice, it’s great to be a part of it. Our younger forwards don’t so much need leadership — we have Pauliasi Manu as our scrum coach — but they do ask if we’re doing things right. I enjoy helping them, if I can, to perfect what they already have in their skill-set.
“At this level, if I get the opportunity tomorrow, I want to be impactful — get my hands on the ball and get that first bit of contact out of the way with the first few touches, settle the nerves.”
Hooker is a tough job. You’re judged on your performance at set-piece. You have to lead at scrum-time between your props. Your other key role is throwing the ball into the lineout.
“I believe a young hooker should practise at live targets and different targets. I now concentrate on repetition at team training with the other forwards.
“Young guys should put in that extra 20 minutes after the official session’s done to get it right.
“In my younger days, I was big on darts -—I reckon that helped my eye-hand co-ordination. Throwing a tennis ball at spots on a wall is another way to practise.
Keep your hands up, finish high, follow through. It’s the same as when you pass the ball.”
