Otago prop Halani Aulika. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
Halani Aulika says he used to look up to the man he now
finds himself playing beside.
Tongan-born prop Aulika (27) has impressed in his opening
three games for Otago, and looks a natural in the first-class
environment.
But it has been a long wait for Aulika, who found himself
with plenty of players always in front of him, when battling
away in Auckland club rugby.
"I was always the fourth, fifth prop for teams, and didn't
really get on to the field often enough. Then I made the
Auckland team this year but I wasn't happy with the contract
they offered to me," he said.
"So I told my manager to make up a rugby CV and send it round
a few unions. I got a bit of interest from the likes of
Harbour, Tasman, Manawatu and Otago. I decided to go with
Otago as I could get a bit more game time."
Aulika was named in the Auckland squad in late July at the
start of the week but by Friday was in the Otago side.
He journeyed south but had to sit out the first three games
because of a suspension he was given from an incident in an
Auckland club game.
But all that excess energy was taken out by Aulika when he
teamed up in the front row with Kees Meeuws.
"Kees was one of those players I used to look up to when I
was growing up.
Now I'm playing with him.
I'm learning heaps off him with his experience and all the
games he has played."
Aulika moved to Auckland from Tonga in 2000 when he attended
the Southern Cross Campus in South Auckland.
World champion shot putter Valerie Adams was a couple of
years behind him at school.
After leaving school he played for the Otahuhu club, first at
colts level and then for the senior club side.
But he never got to wear the senior Auckland jersey.
"Up there it can be more about what club you play for and
coming through the system. I played senior for four years and
lots of people asked me why I could never crack the team. But
it wasn't me holding me back. I just never got picked."
Aulika has left wife Amy and three children, Lanaia (7),
Amisha (4) and Sione (2) back in Auckland, and also taken
leave from his job at Mainfreight.
He was enjoying Dunedin, saying it was nice and safe,
compared with south Auckland, although he missed his family.
He was happy with his game so far, and the scrum had
performed well against Hawkes Bay last Sunday.
Otago takes on Tasman in Nelson this Sunday.
"The game at this level is a lot faster and it took me a
while to get used to it. The hits are a lot harder. But every
game you get a bit more used to it."
Aulika has plenty of incentive to play well for the rest of
the season.
His target was to play well enough for Otago to get picked in
the Highlanders, and then his family would come south.
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