It’s now an official sport of the Olympics! (Well, the 2016 Olympics anyway.) Congratulations to the International Rugby Board (IRB) and those involved in convincing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to have Rugby Sevens (a faster paced 7-a-side version of the 15 player game) in the Olympic Games. [ad#txt_img_skyscraper]“We have already seen massive growth in the popularity of sevens through the world series and Commonwealth Games,” says Gordon Tietjens, coach for the Niu Sila / New Zealand Sevens team. “The pace of the game and having real athletes out there scoring tries - that’s what people want to see; a fast, exciting game.” But some commentators have said the support and contribution of Jonah Lomu was a key figure as rugby persuaded the Olympic movement to include Sevens in their ranks for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Back in 2003, I remember when I was at uni, and a research company approached a group of us Pacific Islanders to particpate in a focus group session, where we were promised free pizza in exchange for our views. Always keen for a free feed, me and my mates went down to answer the nice lady’s questions. The questions ranged from sports, to politics, to personal values. But one question that did stick out was when we were asked to give our opinion of lakapi / rugby player Jonah Lomu (of Tongan descent). The nice researcher lady was quite taken aback at our reactions. The majoirty of the group (including me) didn’t like the guy at all! For those not familiar with Lomu, he is a former All Black that had the power and ‘Polynesian flair’ that wowed the rugby world. Despite having just two All Black caps, Lomu was included in the squad for the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. Jonah stunned international rugby audiences (and unsuspecting players) at the 1995 World Cup, when he scored seven tries in five matches, including four in the semi-final against England. In his first ever World Cup match, against Ireland in Johannesburg, he scored two tries in the 43–19 win. In the All Blacks’ quarter final, Jonah scored a try in the 48–30 win over Scotland at Loftus Versfeld. He shocked the 51,000 that packed into Newlands in Cape Town to see the semi-final against England, as he notched up four tries in the 45–29 defeat of the English, including a try in which he ran straight through England fullback Mike Catt. The image of Lomu stomping all over Catt helped create the rugby sensation that he became. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. One of the sport’s most intimidating players on the field, he has had a huge impact on the game. He was inducted to the International Rugby Hall of Fame on 9 October 2007. So why did we not like the guy? Despite being a role model in the rugby world (especially a Polynesian role model), his personal life was littered with examples of how not to be a Polynesian. He has been married and divorced twice and is now living with his third partner, who was herself married when she met Jonah. Nothing to hang the man for, but it was the way he handled these relationships, which, once aired in the media made many Polynesians cringe, and wonder what happened to this South Auckland hero. In 1996, shortly after the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Lomu married South African Tanya Rutter and she moved to live in New Zealand. Four years later in 2000, they were divorced. Then in August 2003, Jonah married his second wife Fiona (who also became his personal manager with a firm hand on all his finances) in a secret ceremony on Waiheke Island. A week later they held a party on the island for approximately 160 guests. Yet it became apparent that Lomu’s mother was not invited to the secret wedding. In December 2007, it was reported that Lomu and his second wife Fiona were taking timeout from one another. Then in February 2008, it was then reported Lomu and his wife Fiona were divorcing. The reason for the divorce was another woman. Nadene Quirk was married to fringe Auckland Blues rugby player Jarek Goebel when she met Jonah in late 2007. Goebel was understandably devastated by what happened. At the time of the focus group, it often felt the trappings of the life of a celebrity, the world fame, the large amounts of money, the women, had all got to Lomu, and he had lost the Polynesian trait of humbleness and respect. Although his later triumphs over sickness and his support for various causes was something to admire, his treatment of his mother at his (second) marriage ceremony never seemed to have left our minds. When I travelled to London, Lomu was still considered a Rugby icon. It seemed as though Lomu was famous everywhere other than here in Niu Sila. In continental Europe, Lomu is immediately associated with Rugby. No doubt his presence in the Olympic bid must have helped. This is probably an unfair piece I have written about Lomu, but it takes a lot more than convincing the IOC to have the Sevens in the Olympics to erase the memory of how he treated his mother. It goes to show, if you disrespect your mother, not even having persuasion over the world amounts to much.
Its been a while… Im back now thanks to N95 & PC… hooray! I wrote this blog (like actually wrote with pen n paper!!! like WTF? who does that nowadays right? well, ahhhh i do) so that when I got the chance I’d upload it… Ok 1 week out from the wedding, and I’ve seriously had enough! Honestly…. does it have to be a grand affair? I mean if its our wedding why we trying to please others? spending thousands to make others happy and ourselves broke? lol As you know from my previous posts Im the worst person to get married. Well this is how bad it is. 1 week left and…. -still havent found 2 guys to replace my 2 guys from NZ that couldn’t make it last minute -havent fitted the girls dresses or even seen the bridesmaids dresses -Having problems with the pastor (for the sake of getting cursed, I will leave it at that!) -Cant find my shoes for the wedding that I remembered I packed…. I think…and also forgot to get Mr’s shoes for the wedding also from NZ… All these things I have to get done in 3 days…. Mon 29th Dec - Wed 31st of Dec as the stores close on the 1st & 2nd of Jan & the wedding is on the 3rd. Yes for some reason, I like putting myself in these challenging positions But I am happy to say, that I managed to sort all these out by the night before the wedding… dont ask how, cos it involves “fast n the furious” driving skills, con-artist motives, criminal acts, and illegal doings…. ok ok the last 2 I did mentally hehe honestly, if you see the prices of shoes here, it would make you wanna commit murder… seriously! On the home front, my dad was the one with the murderous thoughts, how about I was trying my best not to get a hiding from my dad in the 2 weeks leading up to the wedding…. Yep dad was stressing over money.. You know how you try explain things to your dad, that it’ll be ok, and your dad hugs you and says “I know my daughter, because I have faith in you” you know that scene? well…. it never happened with me lol it was more like “Dad dont worry, the money will be enough since everything is paid for already” and my loveable Daddy says “Kapugi lou guku e! aua le fiapoko, ke maga’o ouke alaku iiga sasa pala ai lou ulu? Eke vaai iai E le lava loa le kupe, ua’e vaai loa lo’u faasaga e fa’agaui ou vae e?” *shivers with fear* Translation: “Shut your mouth ok?dont be a smartass, do you want me to come there and beat your head into a pulp? You’re gonna see, if this money isnt enough for the wedding then you’re gonna see me break your legs ok?” Someone’s been watching too many mafia movies right? hehe hehe But yeah, everyone’s stress levels were on high! But I understood Dad though. You know how Samoan Parents think. Even thought everythings paid off, they still want money to hold just incase. But the amount was shocking though, it was 10,000tala… to hold just incase… up until the rehearsal night the tension between my family (well actually just between me and my dad) was soo much, that I had to call on past solutions, drastic measures taken when I knew I was gonna get a sassing…I came up with a plan… You remember those days as a kid, where you knew you were gonna get a hiding? then miraculously your relatives show up for a visit, but you also know that it doesnt matter how long they stay over for, your dads still gonna beat your ass after they leave? and you cant ask for permission to go with them to their house when they leave cos of course you’ll get a 2nd hiding for trying to escape. So instead you tell your cuszzies to sleep over… for your protection…. Well, I did it again!! hahahahaha ENTER my BRIDESMAIDS… yep thats how bad it was, once the girls came over (my nieces & cousins) things chilled out, my ultimate goal was to “not get a hiding before the wedding” so yeah it worked. The lead up to the wedding took all the excitement of being a bride out of me, and my family. It was like we were planning a mission, like a military mission, that everything had to be perfect or we might all blow up or something. Even at rehearsals, dad was in my ear telling me which foot to put first and repeating “left right left” etc By the time the rehearsals were over, I just didn’t want to have a wedding. We actually contemplated taking off to get married privately, but then our wedding would’ve had a military finish, with dad coming after us with a sapelu or something similar…. Im just glad you only get married once…. no offense to those who can endure this ceremony more than once… but for me ONCE IS ENOUGH!!!!