There are moments cherished and acknowledged by Fijian rugby fans across the globe and one of those memories was at the 1984 Hong Kong 7s tournament when a legend helped his team beat the first All Blacks 7s team at the So Kon Po Stadium.
Etuate Gusuivalu, also known as Honda, made the headlines all over the world with his blistering speed as the Serua native donned the Fijian 7s jersey for the first time at the So Kon Po Stadium in Hong Kong in 1984.
It was in the 1970s when the name Gusuivalu suddenly spread all over the country like bushfire in the secondary schools athletics championships as Honda took to the tracks as an underdog against two of the favourites to win the blue ribbon event at that time.
Marist Brothers High School’s sprinter Patrick Bibi and Ratu Kadavulevu School legend Aria were favourites to win the senior boys 100 metres race but out of the blue, Gusuivalu from Central now known as Sila Central College stormed the tracks leaving the spectators confused and wondering who was the athlete that stunned them and created an upset winning the blue ribbon event in the 70s.
After leaving a legacy behind in high school, Gusuivalu joined a famous local 7s rugby club, the Hyatt 7s team, coached and captained by the famous Ian Duncan.
It was this moment when the man from Naboutini Village in Serua was branded as one of the fastest wingers in Fiji Rugby.
As days turned to weeks, weeks into months and months turned into years, Gusuivalu featured in local tournaments but it was the Marist 7s tournament in the early 1980s when Gusuivalu was given the name Honda.
“It was at one of the Marist 7s tournaments when the tournament director, the late George Read, gave me the name Honda.
“He had a new car back then and it was a Honda model and it was in the final when I ran past my opposition and the whole team and he saw me and said that guy is fast like my Honda car,” Gusuivalu giggled when reminiscing those moments.
Back then major local tournaments like the Marist, Nawaka, Sun 7s, Nabua and the BP Oil 7s tournaments were selection ground for the Fiji 7s team and players were selected from a wide range of tournaments from the East and the West.
Members of the 1984 Fiji 7s team to Hong Kong were Acura Niuqila, Keleto Loboilagi, Peni Rauluni, Paulo Nawalu, Etuate Gusuivalu, Senivalati Laulau (late), Sela Gutugutuwai, Aleposo Waqailiti (late) and Dominiko Manaseitava (late) while Ian Duncan was the coach and player.
The same year, New Zealand sent its first national team as the All Blacks 7s team to the Hong Kong 7s and Fiji defeated them in the cup final with Honda as one of the top try scorers.
For three years Honda donned the Fiji 7s jersey but at the same time played for the Nadroga rugby team before he joined the Fiji Police Force and had the opportunity to win and defend the Sukuna Bowl for a few years before he retired from rugby.
The 62-year-old spent more than three decades in the Fiji Police Force before he retired and returned to his home at Matakadawa settlement in Serua and being the oldest in the family, he was relied upon to lead them.
