Less will be known about New Zealand\u2019s latest \u2018Braveheart\u2019, however, the Sititi who made his debut last summer, and finished the season astonishingly with both World Rugby\u2019s Men\u2019s Breakthrough Player of the Year and the All Blacks Player of the Year awards. That came despite knee surgery reducing his game-time, then this summer he had to sit out the All Blacks\u2019 summer matches with France due to an ankle injury, and yet he already has 16 caps and now a Test try, off the bench at the weekend in the USA\u2019s \u2018Windy City\u2019.<\/p>\n
His father, the Samoan captain of 59 caps, Lemalu \u2018Semo\u2019 Sititi, was signed by former All Blacks assistant coach Tony Gilbert<\/strong> who was brought to the revived Border Reivers by Jim Telfer<\/strong> in 2002. He played alongside Gregor Townsend, Gary Armstrong<\/strong> and Doddie Weir<\/strong> in two seasons in Galashiels, had a year at Newcastle Falcons, and returned for another season with the Reivers in 2005-06.<\/p>\n The SRU at that time spent much of 2005 to 2007 signposting plans to close down the Reivers pro team again, due to lack of finance \u2013 it duly did so in 2007 \u2013 and Sititi was one of several players who left in 2006, taking up a lucrative contract with NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in Japan.<\/p>\n But Semo recalls Scotland as a special place for his burgeoning family.<\/p>\n A home away from home<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWallace was actually born in Samoa but it should have been Scotland,\u201d he says. \u201cMy wife, Rosalind ,went home to Samoa to look after her father, who was very ill. She was pregnant with our second child, and we did not mean for her to have the baby there, but she stayed in Samoa longer with her father, and then it was too close to the birth to fly.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, she stayed in Samoa and had Wallace there. I should have been there too. I was mad that I couldn\u2019t be at his birth, but Tony [Gilbert] said I couldn\u2019t go. He said to me: \u2018Speaking as a father, I\u2019d let you go, but speaking as your coach, I\u2019m sorry, but I need you here\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the start of the Reivers, start of the season, and we had big European games coming, so I know what he is thinking, but I wanted to be in Samoa for my wife and son, so I was angry all that week. I even went to his home because I thought his wife, when she saw how much it meant to me, it might be a different story, but it didn\u2019t change. I called my wife and told her the story, and she was really p***ed off.<\/p>\n \u201cBut she soon came home with our first son and we named him Wallace because the name would be a lasting memory of our time as a family in Scotland. I loved the movie \u2018Braveheart\u2019 and, at the Borders, Tony took the team one day to the William Wallace statue near the Tweed [a 31-feet high sandstone effigy at Bemersyde, ten miles from Galashiels]. He told us the history of Wallace and what he did, and why it was special for us to play in Scotland for the Reivers.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, when our first son came we were thinking of this. We thought William was quite common, so we chose Wallace. And when I see him now returning to Scotland, to play at Murrayfield, where I played for the Borders and for Samoa, it makes me very proud.\u201d<\/p>\n Split loyalties<\/strong><\/p>\n Split family loyalties mean that Semo and Rosalind will not be at Murrayfield this weekend, however, to share in Wallace\u2019s \u2018homecoming\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI was planning to fly to Chicago and to Scotland to see him play, but our eldest daughter, Maruseana, has reached the finals of Miss Samoa and they are on Saturday too,\u201d explains a proud father.\u00a0 \u201cSo, we are travelling to Samoa to support her this week.\u201d<\/p>\n Maru and Wallace both started school at St Peter\u2019s Primary in Galashiels, which also counts Scotland head coach Townsend among its alumni. That could become a fascinating roll of honour if Maru joins her brother in becoming a national star.<\/p>\n If Maru\u2019s style comes from her Samoan heritage, the question is: Can Scotland and Scottish rugby claim any credit for the development of one of world rugby\u2019s most exciting young players, even if he left these shores aged just four?<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely!\u201d says Semo, with a hearty laugh. \u201cObviously, Wallace has grown and learned his rugby in New Zealand after we returned from Japan, but he definitely first picked up a rugby ball in Scotland and the people of Gala nurtured his early love of sport.<\/p>\n \u201cWe called Galashiels our \u2018home away from home\u2019. The people are so lovely and whenever we go to the game, you know, the old ladies would just grab Wallace and Maru, and entertain them while the game was on, and look after them. It was a good, safe place for children to grow.<\/p>\n \u201cWallace came to training sometimes when he started walking and running. He first picked up a ball in Gala, and he would run around and play with other children, and sometimes me and the [Reivers] boys.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was very young but he loved running with the ball \u2013 he still does! I think I still have a photo of Wallace and Maru in kilts somewhere! It was a special time for our young family, and it is where Wallace\u2019s love for rugby began.<\/p>\n \u201cAll cultures are important and play a part in shaping people, and Samoa, Scotland, Japan and New Zealand are all part of Wallace. He has been looking forward to coming back to Scotland \u2013 this is his first time since we left \u2013 and it will be special for him on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n Semo has two younger children, Amarante (18) and 16-year-old Semo junior, who were both born in Japan. Amarante has just finished her final year at Auckland Grammar School, as a head girl, and plays rugby for Auckland Storm \u2013 recently winning \u2018Emerging Player of the Year\u2019 \u2013 in the same back-row position as her dad and older brother, while young Semo plays rugby among a variety of sports.<\/p>\n A rapid ascent<\/strong><\/p>\n Wallace \u2013 the now 6ft 2ins, near 18-stone athlete \u2013 not too dissimilar to his father\u2019s playing size \u2013 developed through the Auckland rugby system, attending De La Salle College, where he was deputy head boy and captained the 1st XV. He played for the Blues and New Zealand at under-20 level, before joining the Chiefs in 2023, and embarking on a rapid ascent.<\/p>\n In June, 2024, the versatile back-rower was called into his first All Blacks squad aged just 21, after helping the Chiefs to finish runners-up in Super Rugby, and the youngest member of the squad made his Test debut in July against Fiji in San Diego. His blend of power, pace and skill has seen him slot in alongside All Black legend Ardie Savea<\/strong> and offer an arguably greater dynamic presence, in attack and defence, at the back of the scrum.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been enjoyable watching him play, and he is really enjoying his rugby, which is the main thing,\u201d says Sititi senior. \u201cI think he\u2019s more skilful than me, and he\u2019s got good rugby intelligence. He thinks about the game and can read stuff. He\u2019s not that type of person that gets involved in stupid stuff like fighting. He\u2019s different to his dad!<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, we all want our kids to be successful in whatever they do, and I think different cultures can be challenging but also help people to grow; from Scotland to Japan to New Zealand.\u201cWhen we have family times, the kids talk about going back to Scotland and Japan, and I have spoken to Wallace and he is excited about being back in Scotland. He hopes to get the chance to play on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cI have said to all my children: \u2018People know you as my son, as my daughter, but I want you to go and make a name for yourself; make me and your mum proud, but make yourself proud. We\u2019re always there to support you, but go and do the best you can to make your name\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are great kids, and now I am just \u2018Wallace Sititi\u2019s dad\u2019 or \u2018Maru\u2019s or Amarante\u2019s or Semo\u2019s dad\u2019 \u2026 which is great! It will be amazing to see our daughter in the Miss Samoa contest and amazing to see Wallace play against Scotland \u2013 our home from home.\u201d<\/p>\n The real test of how much Semo fell in love with his \u2018home from home\u2019 comes when we get to the nitty-gritty of discussing Saturday\u2019s Test match, the respective strengths of Scotland and New Zealand, and, ultimately, whether Scotland can end the long wait for a victory over the All Blacks.<\/p>\n Semo thinks long and hard before speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is definitely possible,\u201d he concludes. \u201cI think Scotland have made massive improvements in the last two or three years. They have done so well with my old friend Gregor [Townsend], and I am pleased for him. He was a great rugby player and great friend.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are one of the best attacking teams in the world now. That is not a surprise to me because Gregor is always thinking about how to be the best, and beat the best. All the time. Scotland are faster, more dangerous now; they stretch teams and score more tries now. So, yeah, Scotland have a chance of beating the All Blacks.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the All Blacks are very strong and have shown that in their latest games. They know Scotland are good, especially at Murrayfield, and won\u2019t take them easy. It will be a great game \u2026 and I think the best team will win!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Less will be known about New Zealand\u2019s latest \u2018Braveheart\u2019, however, the Sititi who made his debut last summer,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551786,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[37482,85185,4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-551785","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-all-blacks","9":"tag-divi","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115499914002481879","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}