Being part of the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua and playing in the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific competition is what young halfback Philip Baselala never thought he would achieve while growing up.
The 19-year-old says he always dreamt of playing for top teams like the Crusaders or the Hurricanes, but when he was selected to join the Drua, it was a dream come true for him.
Baselala started playing the sport at a very young age while he was still attending Gospel Primary School and went on to represent Suva in the Milo Kaji competition.
He says it was a challenge for him trying to balance rugby and his academic work since his parents were always strict about his school work.
Baselala says he would be stopped from playing rugby if he is not doing well academically, so he tried to make things work by balancing the two.
He joined Suva Grammar School where he represented the school’s under-14 to under-18 grades in the Vodafone Super Deans Competition.
The Solotavui, Nakasaleka, Kadavu man says one of the challenges he faced as well on his rugby journey was injuries.
He says going through the rehab and recovery phase was something he found to be one of the hardest times, especially seeing his teammates playing and the urge that came out of him to want to play as well but he had to overcome that especially when he is in a professional environment.
Baselala says when he was named to make his Super Rugby Pacific debut for the Drua last year, he was overjoyed and adds it was also an honourable moment for him as he gets to represent his home side at the Super Rugby level.
He says he was shocked at first when he received the call, but he later realised that he had been training for months with his teammates for that moment and he knew he had to step up.
Baselala was the youngest player to be signed by the Drua as he was scouted straight from the Deans competition while playing for the Suva Grammar School under-18 side that reached the Super Deans final last year.
He missed the Deans final last year after he was selected to be part of the Fiji Under 18 School boys team that toured NZ last year before he joined the Fiji Under 20 side for the Junior World Championship this year.
Baselala will now be looking to provide competition for Frank Lomani, Peni Matawalu and Simione Kuruvoli in the halfbacks in the team next season.
The Fijian Drua will start their 2024 Super Rugby Pacific campaign against the Blues on the 24th of February in Auckland.
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