Waiiiiii-sake Na-hooollllllooo.
Seven years after Waisake Naholo’s last game for the Highlanders, fans in the Zoo and the main stand at Forsyth Barr Stadium still regularly bring up that chant to the tune of the White Stripes hit Seven Nation Army.
It is catchy, an absolutely perfect fit for the strapping Fijian’s name, and a reflection of the fondness Landers Nation still has for a winger who rewrote the record books.
As we focused on the numbers with gun first five Lima Sopoaga (No 10), so we must with Naholo.
He, too, set a couple of records that may never be broken — unless Caleb Tangitau continues his frightening scoring rate (12 tries in 14 games).
Naholo cut a swathe through Super Rugby defences to the tune of 45 tries in just 62 games.
That is an utterly remarkable rate, and has him well clear of Ben Smith (36), Jeff Wilson and Aaron Smith (both 35) on the list of top Highlanders try-scorers.
Naholo was basically everything you want in a winger.
He had the size and speed to take advantage of any mismatch on defence or any half-gap created by a team-mate, and he had the power and strength to take on any defender.
There was also — Fijian rugby player cliche alert — a wonderful sense of improvisation about Naholo.
He played with freedom and flair and a willingness to give anything a crack, the sort of stuff you cannot always coach.
The funny thing is Naholo was never destined to be a Highlander. Plus his career in Dunedin was nearly cut rather short.
He had moved from Fiji to Whanganui aged 16, made a cameo appearance for the Blues in 2013, missed Super Rugby selection in 2014 and had a run for the New Zealand sevens team.
Naholo was a late pick-up by the Highlanders for the 2015 season and expected to just be a handy reserve before injuries opened the door.
His impact on the team was so significant he managed to get out of a contract with French club Clermont and stay in the South for four more years.
‘‘I wasn’t really expecting to come down and start and play as many games as I have.
‘‘Dunedin and the Highlanders really changed a lot of things in my life. I can’t believe how good it has been for myself and my family, what the Landers have done for me.
‘‘It’s been a really special time coming down here and playing under the roof and experiencing the support down here.’’
Naholo also had excellent scoring rates with the All Blacks (16 tries in 26 tests) and Taranaki (22 tries in 44 games).
Famously, he suffered a broken leg in his test debut in 2015 but declined surgery, and a ‘‘miracle cure’’ back in the islands helped him play at the World Cup that year.
Naholo did not play a lot of top-level rugby after leaving the Highlanders.
Four games in an injury-plagued spell with London Irish were followed by a season with Canterbury, a Major League Rugby title with the New York Ironworkers, a very brief Otago appearance and a few games for his Harbour club, where he is back in a coaching role.
Younger brother Kini Naholo, also a winger, has been outstanding for the Hurricanes and Taranaki.
- As there is no ODT tomorrow (Good Friday), No 7 in our 30 Greatest Highlanders series will not appear until Saturday.
