Becoming an accountant was the main goal of Swire Shipping Fijian Drua’s prop Livai Natave and playing professional rugby was something he did not expect.
During an interview with fijivillage News, Natave says growing up, he was not expecting to secure a professional rugby contract and earn a living from it.
Dubbed as the gentle giant, Natave says he only started playing rugby when he joined Queen Victoria School.
The 24-year-old says he just decided to play rugby in high school because his uncles pushed him to try out rugby and when he was drafted into the Fiji Rugby High Performance Unit, he decided to invest more of his time into the sport.
Natave says his rugby journey was not an easy one as he faced some challenges along the way, one of which was suffering a major back injury in 2017 that nearly had him paralysed.
He says looking back on his journey, he is now beginning to reap the rewards of hard work and he did not regret his decision of choosing to play the sport.
The young prop says being part of the Fijian Drua is a great experience for him especially being surrounded by some of the best players in the game with the likes of Fiji Water Flying Fijians prop Mesake Doge and Haereiti Hetet who were always helping him along the way.
He adds he has set his goals for the 2024 Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific season and he is working hard towards it.
Natave has 2 international caps under his belt for the Flying Fijians making his debut against Scotland in October last year before winning a further cap against the Barbarians during the tour.
The Drua will start their 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season against the Blues on the 24th of February in Auckland.
