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Faingaa's finest hour, Part I
29 MARCH 2007
By Karen Bond, IRB.com
For the players now starting to arrive in Belfast for the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007 there is one common dream that unites them, the desire to lift the coveted trophy after the Division A final at Ravenhill on 21 April.
That dream became a reality for Saia Faingaa in Dubai last year when the hooker became the first Australian captain to lift the distinctive trophy after their 17-13 defeat of New Zealand in the final thanks to a drop goal by his twin brother Anthony.
Twelve months on from that historic victory the memories are still vivid for Faingaa, as Total Rugby found out when they caught up with the 20-year-old to look back on Australia’s historic campaign in Dubai.
“It was the most memorable thing I could ever think of in my rugby career, winning it and getting up there on the podium with my teammates and putting the trophy over my head, I was just ecstatic … it was phenomenal,” enthused Faingaa.
“I actually didn’t know it was the first time that Australia had won it, but when I found that out I was just amazed and overwhelmed and I suppose there is many things I could say about it, but it was just the best feeling that I could ever achieve, especially in my rugby career at this present time.
Keeping it in the family
“Putting the trophy up I was crying nearly, the game finished and I was nearly crying, it was just so emotional. We just earned it. We had done the hard work and it just all paid off and to have my twin brother as vice captain that was just awesome as well.
“Twin brothers captaining and vice captaining a team and actually winning it was probably unheard of and to be the first Australian team to do it, me and Anthony thought ‘you know, how good is this?’ The brothers in arms I guess.”
The final gave Faingaa and his Australian teammates the chance to avenge their 22-17 loss to New Zealand in the pool stages, a fact the hooker insists was important to them in proving that they were the best team in the tournament.
“Every match did stand out, but probably against New Zealand when we did lose. I thought New Zealand played really well, but we should have played better and we came away with the loss,” recalled Faingaa.
“But the loss was probably what made us a stronger team and that was what made us overcome New Zealand in the grand final, so I thought that was probably the most memorable game, losing against New Zealand, which is probably not a good thing, but it definitely worked out in our favour in the grand final.
Sticking together
“If we didn’t play New Zealand [again], then I suppose we would have thought that we were probably a second rate team, so it was definitely a good opportunity to play them again and we did show them that we were the better team when the time counted.”
Australia had convincingly beaten Scotland 78-3 and Romania 88-9 before the loss to New Zealand and they quickly bounced back to beat France 26-16 in the semifinal, but what does Faingaa remember about the final itself.
“I suppose the most memorable thing was my twin brother kicking the goal for us to secure the win. Probably the best thing playing with my twin brother in that kind of environment, him kicking it, I was just lying on the floor going how good it this, you know five minutes away from winning the World Cup.”
The drop goal by centre Anthony gave his side some breathing space again with New Zealand having recovered from 14-0 down after 17 minutes to 14-13 with just under 20 minutes remaining, a fight back which had Faingaa and Australia fearing the worst.
“Yeah we did actually [fear the worst]. I think we were on the back foot for most of the second half. I don’t know really, us boys just stuck in there, we played to our patterns and we stayed composed and just stuck it out there, I though it was just good mateship.
Surreal experience
“We had a good campaign, the whole four weeks that we were away. I just think that was more not technique or anything else, but just mateship and I suppose just bonding together and saying to the guys, come on we can really do this.
“We just stuck together as a team and dug in I guess in the last half.”
Australia held on for the victory, sparking scenes of celebration after the final whistle at the Dubai Exiles RFC, although Faingaa admits it took a while for the enormity of what they had achieved to fully sink in.
“Actually on the plane me and Anthony were sitting next to each other and we were just talking and we were going, we are actually world champions, our team is the best team in the world nearly and we were kind of laughing about it.
“It didn’t really sink in until we got home and our family were saying congratulations and all the media and stuff, so it was actually surreal until we landed in Australia and it was just awesome though, you can’t really explain the words, it was just phenomenal.”
Success fuels Faingaa desire for Wallaby jersey, Part II
31 MARCH 2007
By Karen Bond irb.com
The IRB Under 19 World Championship is a proven breeding ground for the next generation of rugby players, the first chance for them to truly experience playing against other countries and in the tournament environment.
Many a world class player has gone on to captain their country after playing in the tournament, including Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll, scrum half Agustin Pichot of Argentina and New Zealand’s Richie McCaw.
The 2006 IRB Player of the Year, McCaw helped the Baby Blacks to victory in 1999 and told the Official Tournament Guide that during that event “was the first time I thought I might be able to make the All Blacks”.
The same is true for Saia Faingaa, who captained Australia to their first ever title at last year’s IRB Under 19 World Championship with his experiences in Dubai having made the hooker even more determined to do all he can to play for the Wallabies.
“Playing for the Under 19s was just a little step or a little taste of what is more to come and I think whoever gets in that kind of environment they don’t want to leave that environment,” Faingaa told Total Rugby.
A taste for the future
“Especially in my case, playing Under 19s two years in a row, I just wanted to become a professional rugby player and obviously now doing it, it is just the best career you could ever have, the best lifestyle you could ever have, travelling the world and doing something you love.”
Faingaa had already made his Super 14 debut for the Brumbies before last year’s tournament, but has now become the regular understudy to Wallabies Hooker Jeremy Paul and made 11 appearances for the Canberra-based team.
Training on a daily basis with experienced players like Paul, a veteran of 72 Tests for Australia, and the world’s most capped player George Gregan have been off huge benefit to Faingaa, who turned 20 in February.
“I have been sitting on the bench for Jeremy Paul, which has been really good because I am learning a lot from him. I think he is one of the best hookers in the world and it is really, really good doing I suppose my apprenticeship under him,” Faingaa added.
“I really, really love learning and I suppose I am a sponge for 2007, but like Super 14 has been really, really good to me with key guys like George Gregan who are always willing to give out advice and guys like that, you always are taking their advice.
Learning curve
“I suppose [my hopes for the next 12 months are] just to take everything as it comes. Obviously I would want the Brumbies to be successful … but just playing well and being a key part hopefully in selection for Australia A.
“If not just train really hard and hopefully push for Wallabies selection in 2008, 2009. I suppose that is what every 19, 20 or 21-year-old aspires to playing for the Wallabies and I would be wrong if I wasn’t trying to aim for that, but I’m a long way from that at the moment, but you never know what happens.”
Faingaa’s experiences of winning the IRB Under 19 World Championship now place him in the unfamiliar position of being able to offer advice for the Australian Under 19 side who arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday for the 2007 tournament.
“I suppose the advice I would give to them is it doesn’t matter who wins, but just be successful and good mateship. You are going to build friends from all over the world and that was probably the best thing I learnt,” Faingaa admitted.
“Meeting new guys from New Zealand, South Africa, France, especially when you have your barbecues and stuff like that. You will play with them for the rest of your life if you keep fulfilling being a rugby player. That is probably my key point, mates and mateship.”
Australian double?
The Brumbies hooker also learned a lot from his experiences in Dubai that have helped him personally in the 12 months since the emotional night at Exiles RFC when he raised the distinctive trophy above his head.
“I suppose just leadership as being captain the leadership role for me was probably the most I learnt, from the coaches and also my fellow teammates, taking control of situations and actually taking the initiative. If someone else isn’t going to do it, do it yourself and I felt that was most probably a key thing for me.”
The big question is though whether this year’s Australian side can retain the title?
“I hope so,” Faingaa concluded. “I think we have a very good team, obviously they are going to be missing a couple of players, but I think every Australian team has a good chance like everyone else. Good luck to the Australian team, I wish them well and I hope they succeed.”
Only time will tell if Faingaa’s prediction will come true in Belfast.
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