KEY POINTS:
Flying winger Lelia Masaga's first encounter with Chiefs coach Ian Foster was hardly an auspicious occasion.
Having a quiet word with the Counties-Manukau wide man after a second division match at Nelson Bays, Foster was unaware Masaga not only didn't know who he was talking to, but even
if he was told the name it wouldn't have meant a thing to him.
Truth be told Masaga, who added another try to his burgeoning tally in the Chiefs rout of the Force yesterday, thought the little bloke in the red jacket was just an overly friendly enthusiast in the crowd who was preventing him reaching the sanctuary of the changing sheds.
"I was just about to walk up the stairs because I was tired," Masaga explains. "Fozzie came up and shook my hand and wanted to talk to me but I didn't know it was Fozzie. Actually I didn't even know who Fozzie was.
"He was trying to talk to me but I said 'look, I've got to get upstairs because I'm really tired'. I ended up getting there and my team manager comes up to me and says 'what did Fozzie say to you?' I was like 'who's Fozzie'?"
After some confusion the Counties manager got to the nub of the matter.
"That's the Chiefs coach," he said.
"I was like 'aw shucks' and raced downstairs but he was gone."
You can guarantee it wouldn't have been "shucks" either.
"I might have said 'damn'."
Foster found the telephone a more effective medium for conversation and the profuse apologies Masaga offered obviously didn't hurt his career prospects.
His teammates wouldn't be surprised by Masaga's faux pas. He's got himself a reputation as a bit of the class clown, but his bubbly personality hides the fact rugby is a very serious, highly personal part of his life.
Masaga, raised in Porirua before moving north to south Auckland and Manurewa's James Cook High, lost his father in 1997, which had a devastating effect on the young family.
"It was hard on my mum, you know. She's my No 1 priority."
Masaga's older brothers flew the coop leaving him to care for a young family, a responsibility he takes seriously. Rugby is not just an outlet for his vast talent, it is a way of keeping what's left of his family together.
Mrs Masaga can count on a few more cheques in the near future as the 20-year-old has graduated to playing the most consistent rugby of his career. He says there are times he still gets a bit down on himself as he struggles to acclimatise to the different requirements and intensity of Super 14 rugby, but his seven tries this season is a testament to his gains since playing a bit-part role in 2006.
"I'm pretty happy to be finishing for the boys," Masaga says with a smile as wide as the Waikato River. "I'm learning so much off Siti [Sivivatu] and Mils [Muliaina]. They make my job easy. If I can't go around I've been told I have to go over."
Yesterday he didn't have to go over, being the last in a well-greased chain of hands, but he has added that dimension to his game after being wary that he didn't want to be labelled as a flyer only.
Strength trainer Nick Gill has added bulk to his frame, leaving Masaga excited about the gains. "I've never had so much power."
He now has his eyes on a black jersey, "just like everyone else". He's given himself no time limit but there's a big carrot dangling.
"2011 would be nice, wouldn't it?"
