Penguins star Nafi Tuitavake wary of big brother at GFI HKFC Tens

Hong Kong: Nafi Tuitavake has been included in a strong HSBC Penguins squad for next week’s GFI HKFC Tens in Hong Kong, where he could come up against his elder brother Anthony, the tough-tackling former All Black. The 16-team tournament will be held at Hong Kong Football Club from March 21-22.

The younger Tuitavake, a four-year New Zealand sevens player who scored his first international try at Hong Kong Stadium in 2007, captained Penguins to victory in the 2010 SCC Sevens in Singapore and will star for the second seeds at Sports Road.

North Harbour head coach Liam Barry, a one-cap All Black, is in charge of a Kiwi-dominated squad of players who, following hooker Paul Ngauamo’s withdrawal, are all playing for Penguins in Hong Kong for the first time.

Forwards include flankers Matt Vant Leven and the giant Mat Luamanu, who played Super Rugby for the Chiefs and Blues respectively last year.

Scrumhalf Chad Tuoro and winger Leka Tupuola have played sevens for New Zealand, while other key players include flyhalf Willie Walker, the former New Zealand Maori who played in the English Premiership, and South African Frank Wagenstroom who played wing for Sharks and Cheetahs.

Despite the strong support, the 23-year-old Nafi will be wary of his big brother, who’ll play for Tana Umaga’s top-seeded BGC Asia Pacific Barbarians along with World Cup winner Mils Muliaina and Justin Marshall. Both Tuitavakes play centre or wing and could go face to face in the final, if not earlier.

“I’d be excited to play against him, but I don’t want to get hit by him. He’s a really good defender, knows how to put a good shoulder in and makes some big hits. He’s also very fast. I’d need to put brotherly love aside for the match and just give it my best,” said Nafi, who has been in good form the Chiefs Development team this year.

“We’ve never played against each other in competition, but I guess the most competitive level was in training for North Harbour. It was the academy guys against the first team and it was live, you had to prove yourself. We went up against each other a couple of times.”

Nafi admits he’d rather play with Anthony than against him and retains good memories of teaming up for North Harbour’s first team in the ITM Cup, New Zealand’s top domestic competition.

“We played a lot together during my first season in the first team and it was an awesome experience,” said Nafi, who helped New Zealand’s U-20 side win the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship in Japan. “Sometimes he’d play second five (inside centre) and I’d play outside centre, or he’d play outside centre and I’d play wing.”

Anthony, now 30, won win six caps for the All Blacks in 2008 and played Super Rugby for Highlanders and Blues before his move to NEC Green Rockets in Japan, where he plays today.

Nafi is now looking to trump his brother in Hong Kong and continue his winning record for Penguins, having also helped the side retain the COBRA 10s in Kuala Lumpur last November when he played as a guest in the final.

“I’ve only played Tens once, at the COBRA 10s, and it’s a completely different game from sevens – you get shut down really quickly. It’s not as free flowing,” Nafi said.

“However, I think Penguins have a good squad for Hong Kong. I’m friends with Mat Luamanu because we play ITM Cup for North Harbour and also Ray Niuia, who’s in the North Harbour development squad.

I know Willie Walker because when I was young he was playing with my brother at North Harbour.”The speedster is also looking forward to returning to Hong Kong, the scene of his greatest career memory after New Zealand sevens coach Gordon ‘Titch’ Tietjens selected an opportune moment to unleash the then 18-year-old.

“The first time I put on the New Zealand jersey was in 2007, in Hong Kong, and I scored with my first touch,” Nafi says. “We were playing against Chinese Taipei and ‘Titch’ put me on the final minute. Victor Vitu passed me the ball and I managed to get away and ran about 50 or 60 metres for the try.”

The BGC Asia Pacific Barbarians will kick off the GFI HKFC Tens at 11.00am on March 21 with a Pool A match against Playmore’s Shanghai Devils, which will be followed by Hill and Associates Scottish Barbarians taking on Irish Vikings.

HSBC Penguins, finalists in 2007 and 2008, will play in Pool B against International Panthers from Australia, HKRFU Chairman’s X and China Agricultural University.

Third-ranked Borneo Eagles from the Sandakan Rugby Club in Sabah, East Malaysia, will play in Pool C with 2009 runners-up New Zealand Legends, Lloyd McDermott Dingoes of Australia and hosts Newedge Club.

ULR Samurai International, runners-up in 2010 and top seeds last year, are seeded fourth and play in Pool D with Tag Heuer Eyewear Pyrenees of France, Australian Country Invitational and A-Trade Overseas Old Boys.

The GFI HKFC Tens is free entry on Wednesday (11.00am-9.00pm) and HK$100 per ticket on Thursday (10.40am-8.30pm), with all of the proceeds going to the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF), the event’s official charity. CNCF Ambassadors Steve Thompson, England’s most-capped hooker and a 2003 Rugby World Cup winner, and former England teammate Leon Lloyd will help with fundraising.

Now TV, Hong Kong’s largest pay-TV operator, is again broadcasting live action on Thursday as well as a post-tournament highlights show.

GFI, a leading brokerage service provider, has been the tournament’s title sponsor since 2006. Other sponsors this year include HSBC, UBS (both Gold Sponsors) and Swire Properties (Silver Sponsor), while official suppliers include Heineken (Beer), Tsunami Sport (Apparel) and Coast (Bar).

The event’s star players have included Joe Roff and Toutai Kefu (both 2006), Jonah Lomu (2007), Brian Lima (2008), Bobby Skinstad (2009) and Waisale Serevi (2010), while George Gregan, Justin Marshall and Christian Cullen helped BGC Asia Pacific Barbarians reach last year’s final.