1
Ben Volavola can't wait to start learning from 'greatest player of all time'
Ben Volavola has welcomed Dan Carter’s return to Racing 92, even though the re-signing of the legendary All Black will likely see the Fijian out-half slip down the pecking order at the French Top 14 club.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite playing a massive part in his counrty’s shock November win over France at the Stade de France, Volavola, who signed from Bordeaux last summer, has played second fiddle all season at Racing to Finn Russell, the Scotland international brought in to replace Carter.
While he has featured in 17 matches, a dozen in the Top 14, Volavola has accumulated a mere 453 on-pitch minutes and has started on just three occasions.
The arrival of Carter from Japan ahead of the business end of the season is set to further restrict Volavola’s opportunity at getting a lasting look-in, but the 28-year-old is is viewing the arrival of the New Zealander as an opportunity to learn as much as he can from the household name in the next few months.
“I admired Dan Carter throughout my childhood,” said Volavola in the weekend edition of French rugby newspaper Midi Olympique. “He is the greatest player of all time and in Fiji, if we support our national team first, the one that comes right behind is the All Blacks.
(Continue reading below…)
“When I was little, I tried in my garden to copy his shot at goals and this technique still follows me today. I have a lot to learn from a player like him.”
Only in his second season in France following a career that had seen the Sydney-born Fijian play Super Rugby for Waratahs, Crusaders and Rebels, Volavola used his French media interview as a window to introduce himself to that country’s wider rugby public.
ADVERTISEMENT
Excited to be joining my Ciel et Blanc brothers for the remainder of the Top 14 Season in France. I’m coming back mid season as a Medical Joker. It was very sad to hear about @PatLambie’s… https://t.co/Ari5ZyB9Gm
— Dan Carter (@DanCarter) February 18, 2019
“My name, Volavola, means ‘to write’ in Fijian. I was born in Sydney before leaving Australia as a one-year-old with my mother. We moved to Fiji until I was eight. Then we went back to Sydney where I started rugby. In fact, my two parents are Fijians, but I have a strong Indian heritage on my father’s side. I am a half-blood, like many of my compatriots!
“I really knew that I wanted to become a professional rugby player in Manly, a suburb of Sydney. There, I played for example with Michael Hooper, the Wallabies flanker. Then I was recruited by the Waratahs: I stayed there three years and we even won the Super Rugby in 2014.
That time @BenVolavola and @nemani_nadolo combined to score this beauty for @fijirugby at #RWC2015 pic.twitter.com/vtZ2E2rv7Q
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) August 21, 2018
“I spent a year at the Crusaders. When I got there, Dan Carter had just joined Racing. Then there were the Rebels and North Harbour, New Zealand. I have a lot of bad luck. Then Bordeaux recruited me.
“I didn’t succeed what I wanted to accomplish with them. I wasn’t good enough and the club decided to release me before the end of my contract. It was then that Racing extended my hand.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Volavola’s career as a professional rugby player makes him celebrity in his own right. However, in the past two years he has got to know what the celebrity status is like in the movie world as he has been dating American actress Shailene Woodley.
“In Fiji two years ago I was competing in the Pacific Nations Cup and she was filming the film Adrift. Filming continued in New Zealand. It was fine, I was playing at the time for North Harbour, so we continued to see each other and now we live together in Paris. I’m blessed to have met a girl like her.
Love can weather any storm. Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin star in #AdriftMovie – Available now on Digital HD, on Blu-ray & DVD. https://t.co/wvXt6cyD2Z pic.twitter.com/sQXYLLOr7b
— Adrift Movie (@AdriftMovie) September 7, 2018
“Before me, she had never watched sports on TV. Since then, she has started to learn the rules of rugby. She even comes to see us at the Arena,” he said, admitting he imagines his own acting skills would leave much to be desired.
“I’m a real catastrophe… I’m already very bad when I’m interviewed on camera to talk about my sport, so I don’t even imagine what it would be if I was asked to play someone other than me.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Guys I really think it's a game of very small margins and knockout rugby still wins apposed to going wide to much to quickly.
4 Go to commentsVery good for NZ rugby and show that the team respect the coach.
1 Go to commentsYou can only coach so much the rest is raw talent. Sometimes overdoing running the ball wide is a problem
5 Go to commentsI’m really glad Fisilau & Tuima are picked. I am a bit surprised about Charlie Atkinson though. He’s not likely to be picked ahead of Smith, Smith, or Ford, and I reckon the 4th and 5th best eligible fly-halves might be Furbank and Slade. The main positional weakness England have is at 12, but this squad doesn’t include a single inside centre. Couldn’t Dan Kelly or Seb Atkinson have been selected instead?
2 Go to comments“Steve Borthwick has named seven uncapped players – including Harlequins’ Fin Baxter, Exeter duo Greg Fisilau and Rusi Tuima, and Newcastle’s Guy Pepper – in his first England training squad ahead of the upcoming three-Test tour to Japan and New Zealand.” isn’t Pepper actually the only guy on that list who _has_ been in an England squad before?
2 Go to commentsCan someone please tell Monye that he’s complete 🔔🔚?
23 Go to commentsFrom what I read and saw Toulouse struggled with their attacks given that they had two tries denied because of excellent defence. Therefore Nienaber as a defensive coach was superb keeping Toulouse within scoring distance throughout the entire regular part of the game. Leinster always would have been able to score a try and move into the lead if they got the chance. However, I think Nienaber has fantastic defensive skills, his ability to counter attack still isn't on top. Although granted he was picked as a senior defensive coach so to expect him to be able to plan for attacks as well might be too much. After all, he did manage to get the Springboks to Two World Cup titles. But that was also with the help of a team of coaches who had been together for 6 years. He has only been with Leinster for one season. Let's see how they can integrate their new found defense with a much sharper or currently existing attack. That should put them on song in next season’s Champions Cup.
4 Go to commentsFoul play by Eben Etzebeth? Surely not.
23 Go to commentsControversial, Jones might be, but he's on the money. That said, Toulouse were better in most positions and seemed far more harmonious than Leinster. The French side looked likely winners from the start.
4 Go to commentshe’s right - home semis for SA teams are vital in future years.
2 Go to commentsless than 8 for Flament, Meafou and Roumat is an abomination, especially when Lebel is given that rating after botching a try having a teammate alongside with just one defender against them
14 Go to commentscomparing the recent Irish win over France in 6N with yesterday’s game, it seemed to me the Leinster attack was at least one or two gears lower …. they should also work on the psychological side …. it was shocking seeing the panic after Lowe’s yellow card and it proved to be match deciding (ST fared way better with one player less) …. Toulouse didn’t steel the win, but Leinster has themselves to blame for loosing it
13 Go to commentsHave to agree with points/factors that are raised, just that.. repost > That was a terrible performance by the officials, that game took forever to finish. > > You still might put a few of Leinsters brain fades down to exhaustion during overtime however, what was Keenan thinking taking the ball out in touch and then soon after letting Dupont find touch. Possibly put Larmour’s explosion in that category giving away the try? > > Also making a farce of the substation laws not being able to get someone on immediately, especially with the fact it couldn’t have been with who he replaced. > > Wait this article is not really about the game? Oh well, fitting of a final even if you really have no idea who the best team was from it. Can sure say Leinster are kings in Europe though, most consistent is what really matters. They’ll really have to find something once they loss JGP Low and Henshaw though, teams for of amazing players but those three are instrumental to the team (well maybe not if JN changes their style even more). added to that, stats 18 Turnovers Lost 16 15 Penalties Conceded 16 You don’t think they might have it easier in the Top 14? Less competition than in URC and far less travel, more subs so less recent workload? Having a chance in games like that comes down to something special. Both 9’s are out of this world, yet it wouldn’t be far fetched to say JGP is more important to Leinster. Henshaw running was the one constant threat in a very static backline, that man just oozes class. As does Lowe, the most supreme winger at recycling ball is so influential to the way they (used to?) play. Their forwards battle amazingly well as a team but I can’t see them winning titles with that. I’ve read comments that Neinaber needs explosive power backs to perform his D structure, I’m not sure an Irish team is the best fit for if that’s the case. Would recommend moving on from him after another year of (hopefully by then) embedding some counter philosophies. Would love to see those two teams replay it out without all the rest break stoppages and wasted clock/ball in play time.
5 Go to commentsNot a Blackadder fan, don't believe he possesses the specialist qualities for 6,7 or 8 at test level. He's a lot like his father, he's either too short, too slow or not powerful enough to nail a starting spot. He was however a big part of of a loose trio that outperformed their opposites and injected himself tellingly at times to good effect. Crusaders deserved their win (which once again showed the shortcomings of some of the Blues forwards), which actually helped the chances of some of the Hurricanes forwards aspirations of a Black jersey. Ofa and Angus Ta'avao should now be yesterday's men, their time has come and on that performance only Tuipolotu should be considered for the All Blacks. Go the Hurricanes.
2 Go to commentsNot to get all soccer about it but you have to ask if Leo is the right man for the job now. Twice in a row he's cast the URC aside to win Europe, and given the run to the final this year it wouldn't surprise me to see Leinster fail to win the URC again this season. Three seasons without a trophy is an unacceptable return for what is basically the Irish national team. Have Jacques take the top job and see what he can do.
5 Go to commentsProbably the best club match I’ve watched. Intensity and physicality were test level, very few errors - just joy to watch. Even more so because I wanted ST to triumph. Comiserations to Leinster fans, only one team could have won the trophy but Leinster were worthy of this great match.
13 Go to commentswhere can one find player stats from yesterday’s final?
1 Go to commentsA really well put together article on Ethan Blackadder. A great guy and as he showed last night , again , a force of nature in the loose forwards for the Crusaders. He was part of a great unit , in he and Cullen Grace and the spectacular Christian Lio -Willie. I also thought Fergus Burke showed his class at first five. Ignited one try scoring movement with a run set up the other with a cross kick.Chay Fihaki , has been amazing since shifting to the wing.
2 Go to commentsThat was a terrible performance by the officials, that game took forever to finish. You still might put a few of Leinsters brain fades down to exhaustion during overtime however, what was Keenan thinking taking the ball out in touch and then soon after letting Dupont find touch. Possibly put Larmour’s explosion in that category giving away the try? Also making a farce of the substation laws not being able to get someone on immediately, especially with the fact it couldn’t have been with who he replaced. Wait this article is not really about the game? Oh well, fitting of a final even if you really have no idea who the best team was from it. Can sure say Leinster are kings in Europe though, most consistent is what really matters. They’ll really have to find something once they loss JGP Low and Henshaw though, teams for of amazing players but those three are instrumental to the team (well maybe not if JN changes their style even more).
52 Go to commentsYou hear all the time about how French teams don't train as hard as other nations and yet they were the ones who finishes strongest and won in extra time. That was a very fast paced game and Toulouse had no issues with fitness after 100 minutes.
13 Go to comments