Swire Shipping Fijian Drua and Fiji Water Flying Fijians halfback Simione Kuruvoli has attributed his success to family support and says it is what keeps him moving when the going gets tough.
During an interview with fijivillage News, Kuruvoli says his journey was filled with challenges and one of them was struggling financially.
He says he lived with his grandparents and their support was something that motivated him to keep moving forward despite all the challenges.
The 24-year-old says he made a promise to himself that he will represent the Flying Fijians on the world stage one day and he never gave up on that goal until he achieved it.
Living most of his life with his grandparents while growing up, the Kadavu man says being able to achieve his goal is a great feeling knowing that this is a way of paying back his grandparents for all they have done for him.
He adds whenever he runs out onto the field, the thought of his family, his son and the struggles he went through are the things that push him to do what he does best on the field.
Kuruvoli also says the thought of the families that go the lengths to try and watch Fiji play on the world stage, some even go as far as going up the mountains with their TV screens and antennas just to get good signals and watch the boys play is what motivates him as well to play to the best of his ability.
The Nabouwalu, Ono man says growing up, he saw two of his uncles represent the Fiji Warriors in rugby union and Fiji Bati in rugby league, and he wanted to make a name for himself too and be the first in his family to wear the Flying Fijians.
He says looking back at what he has achieved, all the struggles were worth it and he is now reaping the rewards.
Kuruvoli played soccer growing up and made the switch to rugby when he was 11 years old and joined Lelean Memorial School where he represented the school at the Vodafone Super Deans competition in the under 14 to under 17.
He joined Queen Victoria School in 2017 before being called into the Fiji Rugby Union High-Performance Unit the following year.
Kuruvoli went on to represent the Fiji Under 20s in 2018 and 2019 before joining the Fiji Warriors in 2020.
He made his debut for the Flying Fijians against Georgia in 2020.
Kuruvoli has now set his sights on the next Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027 and says he has already started working towards it.
Meanwhile, the Fijian Drua will start the 2024 Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific Season campaign against the Blues on the 24th of February in Auckland.
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