St Peter’s Cambridge student Johanson Tamala in action. Photo – Jane Maullin.
Johanson Tamala is sure his selection into the Waikato Under 18 rugby squad would have made his grandfather Tauinaola Tanuvasamanaia quietly proud.
“He was always the tough love type of person,” the Waipā student said.
“He’d always be happy but… he wouldn’t really show it. He’d just be, like, oh yeah, great job, but just make sure you’re doing as well off the field as you are on the field.”
Johanson, originally from Auckland, has been studying at St Peter’s Cambridge on a rugby scholarship since 2019 and has lived in Ōhaupō since 2021.
The teenager has wanted to play for New Zealand ever since he could hold a rugby ball, following in the footsteps of his famous uncle Junior Sa’u, who played rugby league for New Zealand and Samoa.
But his dream almost ended just four weeks into the 2021 season, when he suffered a serious knee injury that sidelined him for three months – and crushed his confidence.
“In my comeback game I just choked,” the 18-year-old said.
“I hadn’t touched a rugby ball for so long and then going straight into reps I just had a shocker of a game and just thought that was it. I’d just given up, I guess.”
It was the loss of his grandfather in term 2 last year that inspired him to turn things around.
“My grandpa was my rock, my everything,” Johanson said.
“He was someone I’d always look up to. The one dream I had was him watching me play because he loved watching rugby on TV. I thought one day he’d be watching me on TV. So losing him was huge motivation. I looked at myself in the mirror and realised I needed to work on myself. That’s where I found my why.”
Hitting the 2023 season with renewed ambition, he focused on eating well and training hard and dropped 13kg of weight.
Now, making the Waikato U18 squad is a reward for all his hard work.
“I’m just stoked to make the squad and I’m grateful for the experience,” he said.
He celebrated his selection with his parents, who moved to Ōhaupō to be near him in 2021.
“Family is a big thing to me; they’re my biggest supporters,” he said.
Waipa’s other Waikato U18 squad member is 17-year-old Beau Wallis, who was born in Cambridge and attended Cambridge High School until recently.
“It’s a pretty cool achievement to be selected for a rep team,” said Beau, who is about to start a building apprenticeship.
He plans to play for Hautapu Sports Club next year, following in the footsteps of his father Glenn.
“Going from first XV to club rugby will be a big step up, so it’ll be interesting to see how I go, but if next season and the one after that go well it’d definitely be a goal to play for one of the Waikato sides,” he said.
