North Harbour speedster races to catch the Chiefs

19th December 2007 01:55PM

By EVAN PEGDEN - Waikato Times


North Harbour flyer Viliame Waqaseduadua knows sheer speed will not guarantee him a place on the field for the Chiefs in next year's Super 14. He's in fast company.

As one of six drafted players in the Chiefs, the winger is instead concentrating on his work ethic, knowing that if the opportunity comes his way he will be ready to take it.

With two Super rugby seasons already behind him, with the Blues and Highlanders, and a spell in the Junior All Blacks, Waqaseduadua, 24, could be excused for getting a little impatient to take the next step up the pecking order as he shakes off a pre-season ankle sprain.

"I think sometimes you get tempted to think about that but for us it's first things first. At the moment we're going through a tough pre-season and for us it's all about managing our timetables and our training," the North Harbour wing said.

"Straight after Christmas, then we think about the rugby side of things, but at the moment it's just head down and working hard."

With other speed merchants Sitiveni Sivivatu, Sosene Anesi and Lelia Masaga already established in the Chiefs, he has some competition for game time on the wing but Waqaseduadua sees that as a positive.

He loves the welcoming but hard working team culture and atmosphere of the Chiefs compared with other teams he has been in.

"The exciting part about it is that you're among the best wingers in the country. They've got the fastest in the country here and they're a good bunch of boys. The backline here is world class and just to be amongst them and in this sort of environment, I'm really grateful."

Waqaseduadua already knew several of the Chiefs players when he arrived in Hamilton for the pre-Christmas training phase, having gone to school with Liam Messam at Rotorua Boys' High School, played sevens with Sivivatu and experienced the coaching of Ian Foster and some of his management team with the Junior All Blacks.

"This is one of the best franchises in New Zealand and just being part of it is something I'm grateful for. I'm not taking anything for granted down here and I'm just getting ready for when the opportunity comes so I can grab it with both hands, while my faith in God plays a big role for me too."