GRATITUDE is what filled Flying Fijians debutant Sam Wye as he reflected on his debut in yesterday’s Test against Scotland at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
Wye stepped in for scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli in the final stages of the match and helped the FIJI Water Flying Fijians hold off the Scots to defeat them 29-14.
He shared how he made his way into the field, stating nervousness had set in the moments leading up to it.
“Simi had a few cramps, so I was a bit nervous because I was coming on a lot earlier than I was expecting, but then I pushed out and then I came on in the last ten minutes or half a game of full game,” Wye said.
“I mean, it’s a debut and I’m just super grateful to get on the field and hopefully I added my own 10 sets to that game.”
When he came off the bench, the Flying Fijians were already at a steady lead in the match and were not open to letting the visitors push through and advance their trail from behind.
Meanwhile, he expressed his gratitude at being able to take part today and shared how profound the debut meant for him.
“It means a lot, living in Fiji, everyone watches rugby. Fiji’s known for rugby so just playing at this level, playing for all my family and all my friends and they are all really proud of this achievement and the amount of support they’ve put into me,” he added.
“Just super grateful for them.”
As he now joins his many Flying Fijian teammates after having game time, it’s a long way from when he assumed head coach Mick Byrne’s phone call to him to join camp for the July Tests was a prank.
