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The newest member of the England Sevens squad has a slight advantage over the other eleven players. Born in Fiji, but qualifying for England due to residency, Isoa Damudamu (known simply as Damu) has been playing sevens rugby since he was four. Growing up in Fiji where the national sport is sevens, Damu believes that ‘Fijians are born to play sevens’ and can’t quite believe that he will make his international debut for England tomorrow morning in the IRB Australia Sevens.
He says “Back in Fiji everyone plays sevens almost as soon as they can run! It is natural for us to play sevens and I have grown up loving the game. From the age of six I started to watch the Hong Kong Sevens on television and was inspired to go on and play my best so that one day I might get the chance to play there. I keep pinching myself that I have been given this chance by England. To run out and represent them tomorrow will be one of the proudest moments of my life.”
Damu came agonizingly close to achieving his life long dream in Hong Kong last weekend when he was selected for England to play at the world’s most famous sevens tournament. However, a minor injury which he picked up playing for his club Newbury Blues the previous weekend failed to recover in time and he was forced to be England’s 13th man and watch from the sidelines. He says, “I was so disappointed not to play last weekend but it was still an incredible experience. It was the first time I had actually been to the tournament and just wish I could have played. I was still so proud to be part of the England squad and was just as disappointed as the other players that we didn’t do better.”
The 25 year old back row came to the UK from Fiji in 2000 when he was 19 with the aim of joining the British Army. He says, “The British Army were in Fiji at the time and were doing a big recruitment drive. I was really interested in joining and becoming a soldier so I decided to go for it.”
The youngster began his military career in Edinburgh which he describes as “beautiful but very cold!” He has also been based in Catterick and served in Bosnia in 2002 for two months.
Before coming to England Private Damu of the Highlanders was a highly respected sevens player back in Fiji and played in front of 20,000 people in a domestic Cup final, highlighting just how passionate Fijians are about rugby sevens. He was called to national trials by the Fijian Rugby Union ahead of the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens, but injury meant he was unable to participate. Fiji went onto win the World Cup and Damu says that the Fijian Rugby Union have not contacted him since.
His involvement with the British Army allowed him to continue playing sevens and he has appeared in the last four Army / Navy matches at Twickenham as well as three Middlesex Sevens tournaments. He has also played for the Samurai Sevens in Dubai and for the British Army in Amsterdam and the Cayman Islands. This makes Damu one of the most experienced players in the England squad and he hopes he can bring something extra to a squad with which he has formed a quick and firm affiliation with. “Serving in the British Army and playing rugby at Newbury has given me a strong bond with England. I jumped at the chance to be involved in the England Sevens set up. I am so pleased to be given the chance to play for England and am very proud to play tomorrow. All my loyalty is with England now and I can’t wait to get onto the pitch and perform as well as I can.”
The IRB Sevens is televised live in Fiji and Damu spoke to his family earlier in the week to find out about the reaction to his selection amongst his family and friends. “I lived on a small island in Fiji and my dad told me that everyone on the island will be watching and cheering for England this weekend. It is the first time that has ever happened and I just hope to make them proud of me.”
Whilst the majority of his family will be glued to their televisions back in Fiji, Damu will have some support at the Adelaide Oval. He explains, “Some of my family live in Australia and are travelling from Sydney to come and watch me. I met my uncle today who lives in Adelaide and it was good to catch up with him.”
Ironically, one of England’s opponents tomorrow is Fiji – something which excites Damu even more. “I am really looking forward to that match in particular. I know a lot of the Fijian players and they know me but there is no doubt that I am going out there to help England win. I hope to cause the Fijians a few problems on the pitch and if I can play well I know it will rank as one of the best experiences of my life.”
England’s matches on Saturday 7th April are:
Against Tonga at 12.15 (local / 3.45am BST)
Against Canada at 15.21 (local / 6.51am BST)
Against Fiji at 19.26 (local / 10.56am BST)
www.rfu.com/sevens
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