The love for the oval ball game defied all odds for the most experienced player in the Digicel Fiji Sevens team for this year's World Cup Sevens.
Coming from humble beginnings, France based Vilimoni Delasau who grew up in Sorokoba always had a dream and that was to play for Fiji.
This was a dream that seemed impossible in the eyes of Delasau's parents and a number of times he was asked to divert his focus elsewhere.
Delasau's mother, Miliakere Naisola Waqatabu said their son defied his parents’ wishes and continued with his passion for rugby which has now seen positive results.
It’s not that the parents did not believe in his dream but they thought at the time that rugby had no future.
Waqatabu said it was their dream that Delasau would stick to his school work and get a good job.
She said both her and her husband would sit down and talk to Delasau to reconsider his dreams of becoming a rugby player.
However, this was to no avail as the 2000 FRU player represented his school, Khalsa College and went on to play for Lautoka in the provincial club games from 2000-2002.
Meanwhile, his cousin, John Gadroka said the family knew last year that Delasau had set his sights on donning the national jumper at this year’s World Cup.
32-year-old Delasau who will play in his third World Cup Sevens for Fiji this year said he had been preparing for months to make the team this year.
Delasau who plays for Montauban, sacrificed 5 weeks of pay from his French club to come early to take part in the Marist Sevens and camp with the Fiji team before leaving for Dubai.
He said people have to be humble and put Fiji first when the call comes from the nation.
The Sorokoba speedster said it is about time that everyone gives the Fiji team the chance to prove itself in Dubai this weekend.
Delasau who is one of the fastest men in the Fiji Sevens team, was once known as the Fijian Flash, after he scored a record 82 tries in the IRB Sevens series.
Now he wants to be one of the few players in the world to successfully defend the Melrose Cup as no team has managed to that to date.
Delasau defies all odds
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