A fan is born

As much as it shames me to admit it, up until yesterday, I’d never watched a rugby match in my life.

This isn’t an admission one makes in Fiji – a country where rugby is religion for most.

So when I’m assigned to cover the Suva International 7s tournament I feel a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

However, upon entering the National Stadium my apprehension melts away instantly and my excitement increases as the speaker announces the next game: the Canada Maple Leafs versus Rt Filise.

This must be a sign I should start watching rugby, I think as I take my seat.

As the match gets under way, I cheer on my Maple Leafs and wonder why I’ve never watched a rugby match before.

Then something in the crowd catches my eye. I could spot this symbol in the fiercest Canadian snowstorm: my national flag. Across the stadium two girls decked out in red and white are waving Canadian flags.

Canadian Heather Burly, 26, and Laura Gent, 23, made the trip down from Nadi, where they work, to cheer on the Maple Leafs.

Sporting a sunburn that matches her red flag, Burly predicts Canada will win the tournament.

I like the way she thinks.

Seeing fellow Canadians in Fiji is like spotting water in a dessert – it’s a rare but welcomed sight.

I take this as the second sign I should start watching rugby.

By the end of the first half Rt Filise is up 7-5.

But Canada can’t lose, I say. Doesn’t the team know that this is my first game, and I need to see a victory?

Just seconds into the second half, as if he read my mind, Canadian captain Phil Mack scores, giving my home country a 10 – 7 lead, which they hold on to until time expires.

I take the victory as the third sign I should start watching rugby.

After the match I interview Mack. When I tell him I’m from Canada his eyes light up, and he says I better come to their next game against Samoa.

I assure him I will and wish him luck.

Yesterday, at age 26, a rugby fan was born.