When he’s at home playing touch rugby with the little ones, Apisalome Vota Bogidrau is a gentle giant.
But when he is on the field, adorned with the Fijian Drua colours, he shows no mercy with his gut wrenching tackles.
Tipping the scales at 105kg and standing tall at 1.82m, the hulking Navuso, Naitasiri, villager is a force to be reckoned with and his depth and grit have caught the eyes of commentators and fans in the Super Rugby Pacific competition.
Vota is the eldest of four brothers and was brought up and raised in his village.
His namesake Apisalome Vota Sr, said his grandson had always been a humble young man.
“When Yaca is at home, you will see him playing touch with the small kids in the village and he would be the only grown-up playing among them,” he said.
“We never knew of his inclusion into the Drua until a village member brought home the papers with his name included in the squad.
“When we asked him why he never informed us, he said that he wanted to surprise us.”
Vota Sr said his constant advice to his namesake was to always do things in a timely manner because he was part of an organisation that was managed by professionals.
“He calls every now and then and I always remind him that he needs to always give his best and to always make wise decisions being so far away from home.
“Before the team’s departure, I saw my namesake was not packed so I washed a few socks, clothes and other training gear but he told me not to because he was going to leave everything back for us and said he would buy his personal belongings in Australia.”
Former Tailevu trainer, the late Ratu Manu Veikoso saw him playing one day and told his family that Vota’s rugby career would take him places.
“One afternoon Tu Manu came around and told me that my namesake had the ability to make it into a top overseas club or even wear the Flying Fijians jersey,” Vota Sr said.
“I never thought that what he said would come true one day.”
Vota Sr also shared about how he discouraged family members from asking his namesake for help.
“I always tell my family members here in the village not to burden my namesake as he is living in a country where costs are quite high.
“I continue to thank God for nurturing my namesake and giving him the talents and the skills that the world has come to witness.”
The Fijian Drua outside centre’s uncle, Sakiusa Vota, said Apisalome was still in secondary school when he started playing for the village rugby team.
“After the games he would always get scolded for playing with us as he was still in high school,” he shared.
“Who knew that the boy who used to get the hiding after rugby on Saturday would one day make a name for himself on the world stage.” He also recalled a funny encounter.
“He went to the secondary school near the village and would leave early in the mornings.
“There were a few times when he was caught loitering at our farm during school hours.
“But other than that, he is a very hardworking young man.
“He was approached to join the Fiji Correctional Service (FCS) but he declined because he had always wanted to be part of the Republic of Fiji Navy and he got his chance in 2019. He has never looked back since then.”
In an interview with The Fiji Times, the Navuso hard-hitter said it was a dream come true to be part of the Super Rugby Pacific competition.
“I am blessed to be part of this wonderful team and to pioneer the first Fijian team in Super Rugby,” the 26-year-old said.
He acknowledged the support of family members who worked tirelessly to get him to where he was today.
“I would like to thank my family back home. To my mum and my namesake who have stood by me at every stage in my life, thank you for being my motivation and for all the advice that you have given me.
“And also to everyone who has helped me in my journey, thank you for your prayers and tremendous support.”
In his parting remark, he had a few advice that he would love to share with aspiring rugby players.
“Nothing comes easy so if you want to be the best, you have to train like the best.
“Do not allow others to make decisions for you, always follow your dreams.”
Vota attended Navuso District School for his primary education then moved on to Navuso High School formerly known as Navuso Agriculture School.
After passing his sixth form examination, Vota returned to the village and played club rugby for the village team before being drafted into the Naitasiri senior team in 2015 at the tender age of 19.
He represented his provincial side from 2015 to 2018 before moving to the Capital City to represent the Suva side from 2019 until his inclusion into the newly formed Super Rugby Pacific side.
His performances had earned him three appearances for the Fiji Warriors in 2018 and six matches for the Fijian Latui in the Rapid Rugby competition in 2019 and 2020.
He was part of Senirusi Seruvakula’s Fijian Drua team that brought the coveted National Rugby Championship trophy to Fiji in 2018 in a thrilling final against defending champions Queensland Country at Churchill Park in Lautoka.
The NRC Drua team also walked away with the Horan-Little Shield.
Vota has been impressive in all his outings for the Swire Shipping sponsoredside, making clean breaks and off-loads and has an amazing tackle count so far.
His combination with inside centre Kalaveti Ravouvou has been making shockwaves around the world and they continue to impress with performances every week.
