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Wish I'd been good at maths.
Nick Taylor
November 8, 2014, 11:20 am
Sometimes, a little bribery is not such a bad thing. It certainly helped new Western Force signing Albert Nikoro get on the road to Super Rugby.
Nikoro was a talented schoolboy, both on the sports fields of Auckland's Mount Albert Grammar and in the classroom where he wanted to move into a higher maths stream.
His maths master was happy to accept him - but the teacher was also the school under-15 rugby coach and suggested that a switch from league to union might smooth the way.
Nikoro was happy to oblige.
"I was trying to get into the higher stream and when I asked the teacher he said 'only if you trial for my team'," Nikoro said.
"I thought I'd give it a go. I made the team and he put me into the maths class."
By the end of the year 14-year-old Nikoro was in the school 1st XV, an under-18 side, that went on to win the Auckland Secondary Schools tournament and came second in the NZ Secondary Schools competition. He played for NZ schools in 2009 and 2010.
Nikoro, an outside back, was set for a Super Rugby career with the Blues but was limited to a handful of games after rupturing both anterior cruciate ligaments, the right in 2011 and the left two years later.
He played for Waikato in the NZ National Provincial Championship last season and previously for Auckland and Tasman. He spoke with Force scrum-half, former All Black Alby Mathewson, before making the move to Perth.
"Alby has prospered here and I want to do as well as he has. I've put a bit of pressure on myself," Nikoro said.
"Alby told me what was happening here but I didn't really need much persuading.
"This is the fresh start I've been looking for."
Nikoro, 22, has a massive kick and landed one penalty from 65m at Waikato Stadium.
"I found out I could kick a long way at school and kept practising but kept it a secret until the coach saw me in training with New Zealand schools and I kicked one from 58 metres," Nikoro said.
Nikoro has been joined at the Force by Fijian winger Tino Nemani. The pair are two of the club's overseas development players.
Nemani, 23, played Super Rugby for the Chiefs and Highlanders, NPC for Hawkes Bay and Bay of Plenty, represented NZ schools and was in the Fiji 2010 IRB Junior World Cup squad with Force centre Junior Rasolea.
Coach Michael Foley said the signings would add significant depth to the outside backs.
"Albert and Tino are both fast with the ability to beat defenders. Tino is a powerful winger while Albert also has a strong running game. He is a goal kicker that can play 13, 15 and wing," Foley said.