Left to right: Viliami Tupou, Natasha Singh, Ardie Savea, Lawrence Nikolas Taufititule and Alexis Fortes.
It’s not everyday that you get to be in the same room as rugby royalty. But for four year 12 students from Auckland’s Tamaki College and Otahuhu College, this became a reality.
They were invited to a media conference about Ardie Savea’s signing with Moana Pasifika last month, getting the rare opportunity to be part of history.
One of those students was Viliami Tupou from Tamaki College. The 16-year-old South Auckland teen is a proud Tongan who dreams of one day becoming a sports journalist.
“It was extremely fascinating seeing the reporters routine, what they do before and during the press conference. I also found it interesting watching the people behind the camera,” Tupou said.
“I was really nervous and the entire interview I was trying to think of a question that hadn’t been asked.”
The students had only been told a few hours before the conference that they were about to meet Savea.
“Seeing Ardie in person was surprising as I’ve never met anyone of his calibre or as popular as him. When I spoke to him after the interview it was extremely nerve-racking,” Tupou said.
“Ardie is a genuinely good dude, you can tell he loves his family and he embraces his culture.”
“Ardie is a good role model for our future generations. I know a lot of people who know him due to his social media but didn’t know he plays rugby.”
Family in Tonga were shocked when they spotted him in a video that was posted online at the presser.
Attending the media conference has reinforced Tupou’s goal of pursuing sports journalism.
“A lot of athletes have extremely interesting stories and I want to talk about that.”
He comes from a family of rugby fans, but also enjoys watching other sports, such as Formula One, NBA, Soccer and American Football.
Tupou admires Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano who reports on transfers in football.
“He’s so trusted that people would wait for him to confirm the transfer. I want to be like him as I think his story is extremely inspirational.”
Natasha Singh, also a year 12 student from Tamaki College wondered how Savea balances his professional life and his personal life.
“I noticed the questions were constantly being asked about Ardie’s career rather than him as a person and I feel like that gets a little too much,” Singh said.
She too wants to work in journalism and believes it plays an important role in giving people a voice.
“Through media you can show the outside world more of what is happening in your community and how things are affecting you. It raises awareness and shows a bigger perspective.”
Following the media conference, Savea chatted to the students and praised them for their questions.
“He said ‘I’m really proud of you’ and it was really heart warming,” Singh said.
“It was a good experience and it’s definitely propelling me to do media even more.”
Lawrence Nikolas Taufititule from Otahuhu College was grateful for the chance to be part of a significant moment in rugby.
“Interviewing a rugby star who has global fame, it’s like a one in a million occurrence,” Taufititule said.
“Ardie seems like a good man who is humble. He was open to questions during the interview and the answers he gave were superb and thoughtful.”
ENDS
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