England’s new wing Semesa Rokoduguni believes his days spent patrolling with the British army in Afghanistan will equip him perfectly for the job of tackling New Zealand on Saturday. The Fiji-born soldier, a lance corporal and reconnaissance tank soldier in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, will win his first cap as England seek to avoid a fifth successive loss to the All Blacks.
Rokoduguni, 27, has been picked in recognition of his outstanding form for Bath this season, having served his adopted country as a foot soldier in Afghanistan in 2007. He says he will feel much the same before kick-off as he did on active service. “To be honest it is similar to the pressure I felt out there in Afghanistan, especially in the field,” he suggested.
“Out there in Afghanistan you have to be on top of your drills every single time because if you mess up that can cost someone their life. You had to be alert every single moment. That sort of mentality fits in well on the rugby pitch. If you’re not there on time you miss the opportunity to score a try and it can cost the team. The only difference is that here there is always a next time.”
He has already scored a hat-trick of tries at Twickenham for the Army against the Navy but never dreamed he would play rugby for England when he left Fiji as a 19-year-old, following in the military footsteps of his father, a staff sergeant currently engaged on a UN peacekeeping mission.
“The plan was to join the army, send money home to support the family and then go back home but then things changed. I was doing well in army rugby and then all of a sudden Bath phoned up.” With his unit due to be posted to Leuchars in Scotland next year, some military colleagues have been asking whether he has chosen to represent the wrong country. “My unit is a Scots unit so they are saying: ‘Why are you playing for them? You should be playing for Scotland.”
England’s head coach, Stuart Lancaster, who has named two further uncapped players, Saracens’ George Kruis and Bath’s Anthony Watson, on the replacements’ bench, believes Rokoduguni will rise to his latest challenge. “He’s 27 years old and he’s probably one of the least nervous players in the squad. I think the life experience he has means he is very composed, calm and mature. You never really find out until you put them in the frontline but he’s got the necessary experience.”
Lancaster, who describes the game as “a real barometer” of England’s development, has also kept faith with Rokoduguni’s Bath team-mate Kyle Eastmond, who was substituted after 40 minutes of England’s last game against the All Blacks in June. The management insist they have total confidence in the centre’s ability to defend against the significantly bigger Sonny Bill Williams. “We are confident Kyle will be able to handle the collisions,” said Lancaster. “We have to make sure our defensive system holds up as well.”
