Piano man Tololima-Auva'a plays the Blues

Onosai Tololima-Auva'a (pictured) and his sister Sara-Jane share a love of music. Mark Nolan / Getty Images

When rugby finishes with him or he calls it quits on the sport, Onosai Tololima-Auva'a wants to get into the music business.

The 21-year-old Blues flanker plays the piano and would like to add a music degree once he is done with the science course he is studying at Auckland University.

"I just love my music. I have played the piano for about seven or eight years and I like to compose as well," he says. "Hopefully after rugby I will get into a bit of composition or do some work with a record company."

Music runs in the family. Tololima-Auva'a's sister Sara-Jane is a headline act at Pasifika festivals and recognised as a leading Pacific talent.

Tololima-Auva'a is into his third year studying science and maths and believes the disciplines of those subjects will transfer to the music industry.

"They help you a lot with organisation, planning and being methodical."

They were the sort of attributes Tololima-Auva'a transferred to Eden Park last week when he moved from sevens to the Blues bench then into the game when Angus Macdonald wrecked his knee early against the Bulls.

Coach David Nucifora enthused later about the young flanker's transition. He did not doubt his ability but wondered whether extensive sevens duty had stripped too much weight from him and had cost him valuable time learning the Blues' patterns.

Tololima-Auva'a's response was significant. When Daniel Braid failed a fitness test again on his hamstring, Tololima-Auva'a became an automatic replacement against the Stormers tomorrow at Eden Park.

"I think I got chucked in the deep end and this time it will be even bigger," he says of his impending contest against loose forwards Schalk Burger and Luke Watson.

"I am loving it, I am playing against the best players in the world and I can't wait to see how I go."

Last week, Tololima-Auva'a admitted his concern when told he would be a reserve against the Bulls.

"I was nervous about that and could not sleep properly because of the tension. Then far out, when they said I was on after five minutes, I didn't have time to be nervous. That helped me a great deal and then after the first tackle and the first hit-up I was into the game."

Tololima-Auva'a was exhausted after the match - more drained than he felt after any sevens tournament.

He weighed 88kg when he returned from the sevens circuit with a gold from the Commonwealth Games.

He had lost 10kg from his regular playing weight but managed to regain 6kg before the Bulls match.

"They all looked an inch taller from the sideline and when you ran onto the field that inch turned into a foot. Those Bulls were massive. Everything I did had to be at 100 per cent because anything less, even 99 per cent, and I would have been blown out of the game.

"They were much bigger than us but we were physical and had speed to the ball and skills. "

Tololima-Auva'a got most of his rugby tuition from his Samoan father as he worked his way through his initial schooling in Papakura before he went on a scholarship to Kings College. His sporting interests were rugby and athletics, where he showed some promise as a hurdler while he went down the maths, chemistry and physics academic route.

In other choices, the loose forward opted for Auckland, where he plays at Grammar-Carlton, rather than Counties Manukau while he has rebuffed approaches from Samoa.

"They have come calling, there have been a couple of approaches but it has been my dream since I was young to wear the black jersey.

"I was speaking at a primary school the other day and just knowing you had played for the Blues and been to the Commonwealth Games, it was a great feeling, there was a lot of pride."

* The picture with yesterday's story on Onosai Tololima-Auva'a was not the Blues flanker, but his New Zealand sevens teammate Alando Soakai.