He would be on the cusp of 34, a little slower but a little wiser, and combining with Timoci Tavatavanawai in a devastating Pasifika punch in midfield.
What might have been.
Fekitoa is still playing rugby — he ran out for Italian club Benetton in a United Rugby Championship game against Ospreys only a week ago — but he was just 25 when he left Highlanders country to pursue his career overseas.
That he was so young when he left yet holds such a high place in our 30 Greatest Highlanders series indicates what an impact the Tongan tornado had on the club while he was here.
Fekitoa was the ultimate hard-running centre.
That defence was from the top shelf, a highlight-reel moment coming in the 2015 final when Hurricanes winger Julian Savea was hurtling down the wing before being hauled down by a charging Fekitoa.
The man had skill, too, and knew his way to the tryline.
He scored a team-high seven tries in the 2014 season and won the Sky Sport fans try of the year award when he beat several defenders from past halfway to score a dazzler against the Sharks in Durban.
Three years later, he again showed a liking for South African defence when he got the ball 40m from the Bulls’ line in Pretoria, spied a gap and went on a storming run to score under the posts.
If he played at times like he had a chip on his shoulder, it was perhaps because Fekitoa was marginalised after initially being signed by the Blues, not getting a single minute in 2013.
‘‘I thought I was gone. Everything was gone.
‘‘Thought I was going to go back home to Tonga.
‘‘But luckily enough Jamie [Joseph] saw something in me and said come down and try the South Island.
‘‘I thought, we'll see. But I appreciated it more. So I trained as hard as I could and it just went from there.''
Fekitoa grew up on the Tongan island of Ha'apai and was one of 14 children in his family.
He went to school at Tongatapu, played sevens for his native land and came to New Zealand when he got a scholarship to Wesley College.
Fekitoa’s rise with the Highlanders led to him playing 24 tests for the All Blacks, scoring eight tries.
The reality with modern rugby is that an All Black jersey is not guaranteed.
Fekitoa decided to accept a lucrative offer with French club Toulon, playing 39 games and scoring 10 tries before representing Wasps, Munster and Benetton.
His Tongan eligibility was restored and he has now played 12 tests for his homeland.
