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.

You've got to be dedicated to train as hard as you can, for as long as you can, because in any sport, and especially this environment, there's a lot of contact. It's all about conditioning and good preparation to keep your body in the best condition possible to play games.

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.

One of the highlights of my career was playing first class rugby for my province, which was Wellington. Another highlight was playing first class rugby with my brothers. Not many brothers get to do that. I can't explain what it felt like to be out there, playing with them. It was a great feeling.

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.

The only advice I could give is to stay positive and focused in terms of what your goals are, and stick to them. If you can't attain those goals, maybe they're not realistic. At this level only a small percentage of players make it, so you've really got to strive to get what you want.

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.