Tomasi Palu enjoying his rugby this season

Above: In driving rain, Tomasi Palu kicks ahead in last month’s Jubilee Cup final between his Old Boys University side and Marist St Pat’s.

Tomasi Palu made his Premier run-on club rugby debut for Old Boys University against Upper Hutt in 2005 at first five-eighth. He scored a try in a 10-62 drubbing to that year’s Swindale Shield champions and Jubilee Cup semi-finalists.

Earlier this season, it was OBU’s 38-22 Swindale Shield win over the Upper Hutt Rams that alerted Club Rugby to the very real possibility that the Goats could annex this year’s Jubilee Cup - and a key reason for this was because Palu was back playing for them.

He’s the type of player that helps teams win important matches, steady and sure, with a great pass and vision and an excellent tactical kicking game at either halfback or first five-eighth.

Palu had just returned from overseas. “I was over in England playing in the Championship for the Doncaster Knights,” he said. “It was my first season playing over there and we did well. They were newly promoted from the division below and we managed to stay there. I think at the moment they are near the top of the Championship.”

With a four-pronged halfback-first five-eighth group consisting of Palu, New Zealand U20 halfback Luke Campbell, former North Otago 10 Hamish Buick and former Ponsonby and Auckland 7s halfback Danny Tusitala these Goats were a chance.

But then Palu was gone.

Palu explained his reasons for his subsequent absence and then return to OBU colours towards the end of the club season.

“My hope was to make this year’s Tongan Rugby World Cup. I missed out on the squad for the Pacific Nations Cup. But I also got married in that time as well so took some time off.”

He returned to the Goats and helped them win the Jubilee Cup. “That was special to win that, it had taken 50 years for OBU to achieve so it all worked out well.”

It was the third time he was involved in the business end of the season in Wellington club rugby, following a draw in 2008 (10-10) and a loss in 2009 (16-21) to Marist St Pat’s sides whilst playing for Northern United.

Why did he leave OBU and play for Norths? “I moved out there to Porirua and it made it a lot easier to join Norths and train and play for them.”

In 2009 he moved down to Otago and joined the Kaikorai Demons in Dunedin Premier club rugby, but couldn’t crack Otago’s NPC team. It was whilst there that the chance to play for Tonga arose.

“That’s when I first played for Tonga A. [Then Tongan Head Coach] Isatola Maka is from Otago and he heard that I was down there and contacted me and encouraged me to join their system and try and make the 2011 Tongan World Cup squad.”

He made that squad and played the World Cup on his home soil. He came off the bench in their famous 19-14 win over France at Westpac Stadium, which, unsurprisingly, is his career highlight to date. “Being at home and beating the World Cup finalists is a fantastic memory.”

He also played for the Tongan Sevens team in Wellington at the 2012 Sevens tournament, part of the side that lost to England in the Cup quarterfinals. That was before he linked up with a brief stint in Romania with the Timișoara Saracens.

Despite not making the 2015 Rugby World Cup, he’s following Tonga closely at the moment.

“I was gutted with their loss to Georgia the other night. Not just for the country, but for the boys who were part of it as I know they were expecting a lot of big things. We’ve still got three games to play but it’s got harder now.”

Tonga has Namibia, Argentina and New Zealand to come. “The All Blacks are our final game, so hopefully I get a call up for that match!”

Two of his Wellington College First XV teammates in 2004 will likely meet in that match, All Blacks hooker Dane Coles and Tongan centre William Helu.

Tomasi’s older brother, David Palu, was also a Tongan international. He played 14 internationals between 2002-2007 and appeared in the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

David, mostly a flyhalf and a fullback, played Wellington club rugby for Poneke, OBU and Norths, helping the latter win the Swindale Shield in 2011 and playing in the last of their seven Jubilee Cup finals in 2011.

“David’s settled in Australia now. He moved his whole family to Melbourne three years ago. He doesn’t play rugby anymore as he’s got about five or six kids now.” Eldest brother John, who played for Poneke, is also in Melbourne and Wallaby and Waratahs loose forward Wycliff Palu is the brothers’ second cousin.

Tomasi got the call-up to the Wellington Lions squad the day after the Jubilee Cup final win.

“Earl Va’a got hold of me after the final – I got a call while I was at the Cambridge [OBU’s social headquarters] and he asked me I could make the Picton Ferry the next day for our pre-season camp.”

To date, he’s come off the bench in five of the Lions’ first six matches.

What about the future, any plans for retirement? “No, I’m keen to keep playing – it’s good to play here in New Zealand too, because a lot of guys tend to go overseas but I’m happy to stay here and keep playing.”