The beauty of Moana Pasifika's inaugural season is the unearthed stories of heritage and humble beginnings that would, otherwise, be lost in the sphere of another looming Super Rugby campaign.
Solomone Kata is case in point. Most know Kata as the former Warriors centre who blazed a trail before switchingto rugby union with the Brumbies two years ago. Few, however, appreciate the challenges he has overcome on his return to Mt Smart Stadium with Moana Pasifika.
Kata emerged from a household of nine brothers and three sisters in Tonga where life was simplistic and lean. Sporting equipment, opportunities and food were scarce. Yet the intangible dream of cracking the professional rugby ranks, of emulating childhood heroes Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu and Luke McAlister, burned within.
"As a young boy from Tonga with 12 siblings we didn't have any breakfast or lunch," Kata tells the Herald this week. "After school we would come home and have taro. If you get tuna cans and mix it with the taro leaves that would be a special treat on Sundays. During the week we would go to school and hustle for something to eat.
"When I was growing up we would find something to play rugby with – a flat water bottle, jandals or climbing the coconut tree and throwing them down to catch it. They're little things but they're related to rugby.
"I only went to school for rugby. That's what drove me."
On that front, Kata excelled. As a 16-year-old he toured New Zealand with the Tongan under-18 side. After watching him score three tries from halfback in his first match, Auckland's Sacred Heart College were quick to table a full scholarship.
Moving to a boarding-school environment in a foreign country without family is a daunting prospect for any Island teenager – not least when you can't immediately converse.
"As a fresh Island boy without any English at all I wanted to find an opportunity to help my family and my future," Kata says. "I was really grateful to be moving here.
"It was really hard without being able to speak any English. Training and professional rugby is easier than when I first got here with my communication with my schoolmates or coaches.
"Even when I started with the Warriors I still couldn't communicate properly – only a couple of words. That didn't stop me from what I wanted to achieve.
"Looking back at it now I'm really proud that it didn't pull me back or I didn't say I can't do it. I was thinking of my parents the whole time. I kept reminding myself of them. I had courage to do my talking on the field."
Kata has mixed memories when looking back on his time with the Warriors. Photo / Getty
Kata played centre at Sacred Heart, making his first code switch after being scouted by the Warriors. They set him up with the Howick Hornets, and he signed with the Warriors under-20s in 2013 to earn his first pay cheque.
"When I first signed with the Warriors under-20s I got some money to buy my parents our first car, a little ute, and I sent that back to Tonga and then we built a house and I'm still helping them with the finances."
For the Warriors' first-grade side Kata played 93 games, scoring 46 tries. He also represented Tonga and the Kiwis, featuring in the 2016 Four Nations tournament.
Reflecting on his seven years in the NRL he recalls former Warriors coaches Matt Elliott wanting him to play dummy half and Andrew McFadden giving him the chance to prove himself at centre.
Glancing around the Mt Smart gym that features his records - including the all-time best back bench press of 185kg - emblazoned on the walls evokes mixed memories.
"This place is where my professional career started. It's good to be back," he says. "I enjoyed my time with the Warriors but it's hard to feel comfortable and learn when you keep changing coaches. We had to start again all the time.
"That made me lose interest in playing the game. I needed a new challenge to find the motivation so that's why I moved to the Brumbies.
"In the back of my mind I always knew I was going to go back to rugby because that's what I grew up playing."
Kata savoured his two years at the Brumbies, where he largely featured on the wing, but with Covid affecting the ever-changing travel landscape and his first son due next month he did not want to miss the birth, as he had with his four-year-old daughter.
Kata played two NPC games for Auckland before Covid shut down their season. Photo / Getty
Returning to Auckland last year Kata played two NPC games before Covid shut down their season. He is now embracing the chance to represent his Tongan heritage again, having debuted for the national rugby side – the ʻIkale Tahi – against England at Twickenham in November.
"It's very special to be part of the first Moana Pasifika team," Kata says. "The last week was really emotional. We focused on the connections and I got to know where the boys come from. They were sharing their experiences, their family life.
"We are all Islanders; we know the humour of Islanders. Our connection off the field was really smooth because we understand each other.
"Looking back on my career and where I came from, for someone really fresh with no English, to achieve all those goals it's really special.
"I can tell my kids the story of where I came from. My main goal is to take them back to Tonga so they appreciate what they have here. Now I'm living my dream."
