When you're not playing your head can drop, and you can get a bit negative. I try to tell them that there are a lot of things they can't control, selection being one of them, and that they should just try to stay positive.

I'm the granddaddy of this side. I'm the oldest person playing in the team, so I've got a mentoring role. I've been around the tracks and achieved a few things. I try to make sure that the younger players reach their full potential, and stay on the right track.

Always have a plan B and C, because if it doesn't work out there are other things you can focus on. It's important to have a balance to your life, regardless of what you're doing. I've been playing at this level for a long time, but I've got interests outside of rugby, like my family and my children. They keep me sane.

At the age of five or six I just used to kick the ball with both feet. I wasn't very good to start with but I practised and practised. Once I finally got it, it was an unbelievable sensation. It was then that I realised that if you work at something, it pays off.

My father's a keen sportsman, and so is my mother. My mother's brothers all played international rugby for Samoa. That's where I got my dreams from.

Everybody likes to indulge in a bit of ice-cream and junk food. If you want to be a top player you've got to be sensible in terms of what you eat.

Everybody reacts differently. For me defeat lingers around for different time periods. I can dwell on some for five minutes or sometimes I can still be thinking about it a week later. It all comes down to experience. You need to reflect on your mistakes and move on. Luckily you always get the opportunity to turn things around in your next performance.