Rugby World Cup: Charlie Faumuina's story from city streets to Wembley

Charlie Faumuina charges upfield during The Rugby Championship match between Argentina the All Blacks. Photo / Getty Images

Faumuina’s powerful play has its origins in boyhood games with another rugby great.

The origins of Charlie Faumuina's skills - the hands and feet of a midfielder attached to the body of a 129kg prop - can be found on the streets of South Auckland.

It was in Manurewa that he honed his sidestep and swerve, head fake and behind-the-back pass, and it was done in the presence of Joe Rokocoko, who became a finisher extraordinaire for the All Blacks.

Faumuina, a 28-year-old, who started taking rugby seriously when aged only in his late teens, felt compelled to keep up with the fleet feet and skilled hands of friends such as Rokocoko, a strike weapon who matured into one of the finest wings to play for the All Blacks, scoring 46 tries in 68 tests over seven years.

Rokocoko, now 32, was a bit older than Faumuina, too, so that must have upped the ante for a young guy who played league but changed to rugby in his last two years at Papatoetoe High School so he could play with his mates.

"I don't know how it happened,", he says when asked how he developed into one of the best ball-playing props in world rugby.

"I think everyone [when young] wants to be the playmaker in the team. You want to set up guys and I think I spent too much time playing with the brothers and guys on the street. Once I came through the system, they let me do my thing and critiqued it a little bit. I don't how it's happened, it's just ... when I get a little bit nervous I start stepping like that.

"I was born in Manurewa. There was a park there and as a little kid I lived not far away from Joe Rokocoko and all of us would come together and play a bit of touch."

New Zealand All Blacks prop Charlie Faumuina at the team hotel. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Faumuina played club rugby after leaving school and once he got into the Auckland system, "things happened real fast. I think I made the New Zealand Under-21s and ITM Cup that same year. The year after was Super Rugby. From being right out of the system I shot right into it."

He is right back in the All Blacks environment now, too, after having a frustrating time of it with a neck injury - for which he required surgery - and a concussion which set him back again.

His 40 minutes for Auckland in the ITM Cup against Canterbury at Eden Park were enough to convince Steve Hansen that he was ready and Faumuina said the impact he made when replacing Owen Franks for the final 30 minutes at Wembley against Argentina was some of that frustration being released.

"That's probably three or four months of frustration coming out in that one game. We were a little bit under the pump there in the first half but I was just happy to get out there and help the boys."

He says of his appearance for Auckland the day before the All Blacks World Cup squad was read out: "To finally get out there ... I just wanted to play any rugby by then and if it was to just play the rest of the season at ITM Cup I was happy. Luckily enough the next day my name was read out so I was pretty stoked with the faith the selectors had in me."

Hansen was desperate to include Faumuina in the squad for the impact he can make starting a test or coming into one, and the Blues player showed at Wembley he is keeping the pressure on Franks.

"I think it's good for the team - making everyone perform, he says. "It keeps me on edge just to play with Owey. He's been there for a long time and has set the mark for four or five years. I'm not fussed when I get to play. I've been in situations where I've been dropped if I haven't played well, so to get the opportunity to be anywhere in the 23 or the 15 is awesome."