Waisea Nayacalevu has something to say. “We have never said it in public, but it is time for it to come out,” says the Fiji captain, his gold tooth shining in the Manchester sunshine. “We have to stamp out this virus that has always been there.”
This isn’t the story of his encounters with Neymar and Michael Jordan, we’ll get to that later. It’s the untold truth about how Fiji nearly brought last year’s World Cup crashing down by threatening to pull out 48 hours before their quarter-final against England.
“There is corruption in the home of rugby in Fiji,” he says. “We weren’t going to play the game against England, we were going to pull out. We were promised things and we didn’t get them. We were promised a bonus.
‘We were in Marseille and I organised a presentation, a video call, I organised everything to talk about what they had promised us. We gave them a date and we said: ‘If you don’t pay before this day, no one will play this quarter-final match.’
The senior leadership group, including Semi Radradra, Levani Botia, Albert Tuisue and Eroni Mawi, were all on board and met at the Radisson Blu hotel in Marseille.
Nayacalevu revealed that Fiji almost pulled out of their World Cup match against England
The 34-year-old said the players made the threat because they were not paid a bonus they were owed.
Nayacalevu had the support of all Fiji’s senior leaders for last year’s strike proposal.
“I’ve played for Fiji for over 10 years and it’s always the same,” Nayacalevu says. “It’s not the first time… guys getting half their wages, guys not getting paid for weeks. We got paid on the Thursday before the England game. It was very close. It was a distraction.”
‘Fiji has the potential to win the World Cup, that was our mindset last year. We were frustrated after the England game because we were building phases but there were hands in every ruck, blocking the ball. We’re not playing with our eyes closed.
“This is probably my last year in Fiji and I said to the team: ‘Lads, when I leave here I hope you learn from this… when things happen in the future I hope you have the courage to face them.’ If we didn’t have corruption, if we had professional people in charge, Fiji would be better. It’s not fair, but we have to go in and sort it out.”
For now, Nayacalevu is focused on Sale. He is the Premier League’s marquee signing of the new season, replacing Manu Tuilagi in midfield after joining from Toulon. The 34-year-old settles into a seat at Sale’s Carrington training base and tells Mail Sport about life in France and his move to these shores.
“I moved to Stade Francais when I was 22 and lived in Paris for 10 years,” he says.
‘I met some really cool people, and some real jerks! It was surreal. When we won the Top 14, we went to the VIP section of a nightclub in Paris and suddenly there was Michael Jordan. I was surrounded by bodyguards, but then I went to the bathroom and Michael Jordan was next to me. I have no words!’
‘Another time we were in the gym and the whole Paris Saint-Germain squad came in, guys like Thiago Silva in tracksuits. Neymar was there, lifting weights! Maybe he’d become a full-back in rugby. Coming from a small village in Fiji, it was all mind-blowing for me.
‘I had an amazing time in France, but I always had in mind that I wanted to experience something more.
Nayacalevu has joined Sale in what is the biggest signing of the Premier League season.
He revealed to some of his Fiji teammates that this year could be his last in international rugby.
He spent a decade playing in France and was ready for a new challenge in Manchester.
“Moving to Manchester is part of the experience and I’m really grateful to Sale. I can’t wait. I told the lads I’d bring them some kava, the Fijian drink, after the first game.”
Accompanied by his French wife Jojo and their two children, Nayacalevu has moved into a high-rise apartment in Manchester city centre. “45th floor, bro! I’ve never been this high in my life!” It’s a world away from his humble beginnings in his island village, wedged between the mountains and the South Pacific coast.
‘I grew up in a village called Deuba. The music is different, more Fijian love songs than Oasis! There aren’t many cars. People walk, ride horses, take a boat, it’s village life. My father works in a sawmill and my mother worked in hotels. It’s a beautiful place, people don’t realise how lucky they are.
‘I was a waiter at a hotel called Uprising Beach Resort. When I was 18, the owner, who was half French and half Fijian, wanted to start a rugby team. He got the local boys in because he wanted to promote his hotel with a rugby sevens team.
‘After that, he said, “Let’s promote our resort abroad,” so we took the team to Australia, Barcelona, Rome and Brighton. An agent from France discovered me and signed me. It all started with a job in a bar!’
Nayacalevu grew up in a small village in Fiji, a far cry from what life in Manchester will be like.
The centre also spoke about his remarkable journey from waiter to rugby player.
He also promised to bring a traditional Fijian drink, kava, after Sale’s first game of the season.
His journey from rags to riches has made him a Fijian treasure. His most famous contact? The country’s president.
“We lived in a normal house, with the foundations raised,” he explains. “When it rains a lot, the water from the mountains goes down and the sea rises. It can rain for a week.
‘We loved playing rugby in the water, that’s where you learn the skills. Every afternoon, in every village, in all weathers, everyone plays touch rugby, barefoot, with an old rugby ball or a coconut, while the ball is being thrown around.
“The president loves rugby and wanted me to be an ambassador for climate change. I couldn’t do it because I was busy here, but he wanted me to do something about the impact of rising sea levels on small islands in my country. I don’t have time now, maybe after rugby.”
A future in politics? “I want to be prime minister!” he says, laughing and showing off his gold tooth.
Nayacalevu has refused to rule out a future in Fijian politics at some point in the future.
He would bring radical changes to Fiji and wants to ensure that people are well looked after.
‘I would change everything systematically in my country. The people who are in charge of things are not open-minded. I would change the way people are cared for.
“I just want people to be treated fairly and equally. I want to open a career consultancy in Fiji to advise the younger generation on what it takes to be in a professional environment. I want to change things to improve the situation for our children and our future.
‘I came from nothing, from humble beginnings, to step alongside Michael Jordan.
“I have seen different things around the world and from where I am things can be better.”