While the phrase “heavy is the head that wears the crown” may ring true for those called to serve the masses, former Flying Fijian fly-half Nicky Little believes however, that heavy is the duty of playing for the nation.
Little shared those sentiments in his pre-recorded video presentation at the Fiji Rugby Union’s 2025 Symposium on Thursday, where he spoke with Fiji Rugby’s general manager for high performance, Nacanieli Cawanibuka.
Cawanibuka asked Little what word of advice did he have for the current group of Flying Fijians and young players following in his footsteps.
“”It is quite heavy playing for your country; you can’t deny it. You got the (number) 10 shirt, or the ninth shirt, or the left-wing shirt, like being on the left wing,” Little shared to Cawanibuka.
“So that’s a heavy, heavy jersey. You’ve got a job, just figure out the job because my job was to get the ball to my half-backs, get the ball quickly to the fast guys, that was my job.”
He recalled his initial memories of making the team as one that was filled with what he said was animosity.
“I think there was a bit of animosity when I first made the team, because back in ’96 (1996), there was a big thing about local players versus overseas based players,” he recalled.
“Maybe the local players thought we were better but no, we didn’t, because we were growing up with the culture, so we felt there was something missing.”
Despite being an overseas based player, Little’s place in the team was secured due to his father’s Fijian heritage. His mother however was Maori.
In conversations relating to the Flying Fijians rise into a newfound sense of formidable strength and prowess in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Little’s name is one that is held in high regard, notable for his captivating performances in the position of fly-half which paved the way for present day players such as Caleb Muntz to take up the role.
He was also under the tutelage of former FIying Fijians head coach Brad Johnstone, credited for helping usher the team into a new era of strength, dominance and speed in the international rugby arena.