New door opens for Nemani Nadolo

WHEN you're blessed with a 196cm, 125kg body that moves with the speed and fury of a tropical storm, it's all supposed to happen for you on the rugby field. It hasn't happened yet for Waratahs winger Nemani Nadolo but it soon may.
After two seasons at the Waratahs during which he was unable to make his Super 14 debut, partly because of injury, but mainly because Drew Mitchell, Lachlan Turner and his own cousin, Lote Tuqiri, blocked his path, Nadolo is about to move straight into the Test arena after being named on the Fiji bench against Australia in Canberra tomorrow.

Once he sets foot on to Canberra Stadium wearing the white Fiji jersey, he not only can never play for Australia but he also forfeits any right to continue with the Waratahs, unless as a marquee foreign player.

In reality, however, that break has already been made. Faced with the prospect of not being re-contracted by NSW and with no other Australian team showing great interest in him, the player once hailed as Australia's answer to Jonah Lomu has signed with French Top 14 club Bourgoin-Jallieu.

"A door shuts and another one opens," said Nadolo, 22, who grew up in Brisbane. "I couldn't have been more honoured than when I was named on the bench for this Test."