Rugby: Emotional return to island homeland

Former Counties player Ahsee Tuala. Photo / NZME.

Of all the Manu Samoa players to arrive in Apia for the test against the All Blacks, few were as emotional as former Counties player Ahsee Tuala, back in his homeland for the first time since leaving it as a 2-year-old.

While almost all of the squad are based overseas, most have visited before, even those not born in Samoa.

Not so Tuala, the fifth of nine children brought up in South Auckland after his parents - dad Willie, a mechanic, and mum Ta'ase - left Samoa in the hope of better work and education opportunities.

Tuala, 25, an adaptable player who can slot in equally well at first-five, wing or fullback, went to a bilingual primary school, so is able to converse in Samoan, and although he has met briefly with relatives who he has never had contact with before, he has yet to spend a lot of time with them.

While not in tomorrow's match-day squad, those meetings will come after tomorrow's test at Apia Park.

He has arrived after one season with the Northampton club in England, home also to Manu Samoa teammates Ken and George Pisi and Kahn Fotuali'i, and although he has played only one test - against Canada last year - he doesn't feel like a new boy. That, he said, isn't the Samoan way.

"It's a lot of fun and that's an important thing for me coming into the environment [in Samoa] for the first time," he said.

"All of the older boys look after the young fellas. There's no top dog, everyone's the same, everyone's got a voice in the team.

"There are a few guys who are well respected, but everyone has a chance. It's really unique."

It is certainly unique compared with the All Blacks, a team based on a hierarchical structure since time immemorial. There, the longer you have been in the environment, the more say you have.

That would be at odds with the inclusive and welcoming culture here in Samoa, a place where many of the locals seem genuinely pleased to see visitors.

That expectation for Tuala has also been borne out by experience.

"I had a feeling that Samoa was a real chilled out place, and it is, driving around in the bus and everybody is relaxing under the trees and enjoying a bit of niu [drinking coconuts].

"It's a good lifestyle here - it's nice and slow."