Pasiliio Tosi at Levin Domain. Photo / RADAR Photography
Pasiliio Tosi at Levin Domain. Photo / RADAR Photography
Horowhenua has produced another front row All Black with the naming of Pasilio Tosi in the squad this week.
And his father couldn’t be more proud. Viliami (Nick) Tosi said hearing the news his son had become an All Black took a while to sink in.
“My daughter rang me and told me ‘Make sure you are watching the news’. I said ‘What for?’,” he said of the squad announcement for test matches against England and Fiji next month.
Viliami (Nick) Tosi.
“When I heard his name I thought I was hearing things. I was very proud.”
Soon after the announcement, he got a call from his All Black son.
“I said I am proud of you, boy, because your dream has become a reality,” he said.
“That was his dream. To become an All Black.”
The oldest of four children, Pasilio grew up watching his father play senior cricket season after season in Horowhenua-Kāpiti. Nick Tosi was a deceptively quick bowler off a short run-up and was famed for his ability with the bat to clear the fence with ease.
Tosi said while his son dabbled in cricket and other sports, rugby was always his game and the game he loved most.
“I started to teach him to play cricket but he loved rugby. That was his game,” he said.
Pasilio Tosi and Ardie Savea in the Hurricanes lineout at Levin Domain in 2023.
Pasilio Tosi, 25, was a naturally gifted athlete from a young age and excelled at sport while at Horowhenua College and was junior athletics champion, winning the 100m, javelin, shot put and discus events.
Horowhenua Chronicle spoke to some of his junior rugby coaches who were all surprised that Tosi ended up playing in the front row. While bigger than most other players his age, he was so quick it was hard to imagine him playing anywhere other than the backline.
Tosi played his junior rugby for the Athletic club and former junior coaches Mario Fifita and Phil Matenga remember him well. Fifita said Tosi was the quickest in the team. That’s why he played on the wing.
And strong.
“He was only young and he could squat with me on his shoulders,” Fifita said.
“We couldn’t find boots big enough for him. He was wearing mine for a while, then they got too small and he needed a size 13.
“He was a nice kid. He was really good with the other kids, too. He was naturally gifted. You could tell he was destined for something.”
Matenga said it was a buzz seeing Tosi selected. He remembers a “gentle giant” who was mindful of the other players around him.
New All Blacks call-up Pasilio Tosi. Photo / Photosport
“He was very humble, but when he ran ... he probably could have done some real damage, but he would run around the other players rather than over them. He was that fast,” he said.
Chris Wilton coached Tosi in the under-16 Horowhenua-Kāpiti representative team when Tosi was just 14.
“He was an exceptional athlete. He was huge, like Jonah Lomu ... big as, fast as. He was a nice, happy fella, too,” he said.
HKRU chief executive Corey Kennett said the entire province could be proud of Tosi’s selection.
“It’s an amazing indictment for hard work and perseverance. It shows you can come from a small town and make the All Blacks,” he said.
“We are incredibly thrilled for him and his whānau.”
Tosi drew plenty of attention at that Hurricanes schoolboy tournament when he was 14. After that, he did the remainder of his schooling at Rotorua Boys High School.
From there he was selected for Southland, where he was switched from number eight to prop, then came a move to Bay of Plenty.
The switch from loose forward to prop at that level in such a short time speaks to his work ethic. An impressive all-round performance against Wellington two seasons ago saw him signed by the Hurricanes, who recognised his raw potential.
At 140kg, he ranks among the biggest props in international rugby but has retained deceptive mobility and speed for such a big man.
Tosi’s selection begged the question - what’s in the water in Horowhenua?
He now joins hooker Cody Taylor and fellow prop Tyrel Lomax deep in the engine room of the All Blacks, two established front-row forwards to also come from established Levin families, cousins who whakapapa to tangata whenua Muaūpoko.
Cody Taylor says hello after the game at Levin Domain. Photo: RADARPhotography
Tosi’s selection sees him join Terry McCashin and Cody Taylor as former Horowhenua College students to have made the All Blacks.
Other players from the province to become All Blacks include some good ones - Carlos Spencer, Christian Cullen, Dane Coles, Harry Jacob, Cliff Porter, Joe Karam, Gary Knight and Mark Shaw.
Tosi was one of five uncapped All Blacks named in the 32-man squad by coach Scott Roberston on Monday along with George Bell, Billy Proctor, Cortez Ratima and Wallace Sititi.
2024 Ultra Low Carb Steinlager Series:
July 6: All Blacks v England at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin. 7.05pm.
July 13: All Blacks v England at Eden Park, Auckland. 7.05pm.
