Presser: Mark Nawaqanitawase ahead of his 50th Super Match

well Mark uh your 50th Super Rugby game this weekend mate you must be proud yes um it's a very special uh game this week um you know to think I've come this far um you know let alone play one game um so it' be uh pretty cool um to run out and uh yeah to do it in Fiji as well it's pretty special and did you ever envisage you know when you were growing up that you play 50 war games like like I said before um to get one was amazing and it's crazy to think that I've got to 50 um so I'm just you know grateful for the opportunities that I've uh been given and um yeah I'm looking forward to it and uh giving your family heritage may we playing in FG for the first time does that make an extra special yeah definitely um you know it's it's uh it's been crazy um you know knowing you know that I'd be able to do my 50th in FG um but uh just for you know just for the T boys to able to play there is um you know pretty exciting as well um you know all the family are super excited and uh you know going to get going to get out there to the game to support us which would be cool um so it's um yeah it's exciting so you got some extended family coming to the game yeah I think the whole village is trying to get out there which is uh um which would be pretty cool um just hard trying to find some tickets cuz they've already sold out the whole thing so um yeah know it's it' be pretty special in terms of your village far from par is like maybe maybe two hours or an hour and a half depending how they're traveling they're on bus or something is that M mom's side dad's side what side both sides oh no dad dad dad's a fene um so yeah he's uh he's got my uncles my brothers his brothers sorry um and then all the kids tried to head out which really good when this s of came on the radar I know you probably would I you end the year 45 Poli caps when is best on the radar and I guess can you talk about just how special it is for the world be CU I know I think last year the home games and super round I think the first year they might have been playing games and go Coast around them yeah um yeah look it's uh it's I guess it's a very oh very special um uh to to have a Fijian tight in the Super Rugby uh Pacific um and obviously you know for a lot of boys who have the the f inheritage it's pretty cool to be able to um you know go back you know to where their family's from and be able to um you know play in front of them um but it's also pretty cool um you know to uh experience um experience this experience with uh with all the other boys you know here in my team you know they're very uh they love I guess they love us fre Jam boys and it's pretty uh cool and it'll be pretty special um for them to see what it's like over there and um I guess enjoy the atmosphere so um yeah it's very exciting for all of us proba question but what makes it so hard to FJ andj FJ yeah oh man obviously I'd say the atmosphere um they obviously love love the game um over there it's the number one sport so um you know every time they run out the draw a team it's you can see on the TV and everything that's it's packed and the the fans have gone crazy and um you know that the the players use that ener on the field and you know I'm sure you know it's going to be a big crowd out there and we'll have a tough we'll have a tough day but um you know I'm I'm sure our boys are ready for it just split between the wing and fullback start this year um have you sort of found that transition and have you look to sort of integrate your game more as you sort of go looking for the ball uh yeah oh I guess it's like usual you know start of season you just try to find the Feld for the game obviously there's a few changes here and there not too many but um you know it's it's early in the season so you're just trying to get get into the game a bit um but you know as as the games go on chemistry builds and um I guess confidence grows so going around and finding the ball just just will happen I guess yeah how do you s of say that relationship with not only having Max at fullback having TR Ry come in like more sort of attacking weapons you to sort of work with and sort of bounce off when you sort of try to improve your game yeah 100% um you know those those boys are quality players and um I guess um the competition here in itself at the tars allows you to um make sure that you're on and trying to uh better yourself so that um you know each week you can you can get out there but at the same time we're helping each other be better um and um like you said there's some quality attackers out there so we're trying to trying to um you know all show piece in the game and and help each other out in s of similar spots to where you were last year in terms of you know a bit of a slow start terms of wins but do you feel 12 months on there are sort of you're you're at a better place in terms of where you're playing and sort of how the teams growing is the year 100% um I feel like we've uh we learned a lot from last year um you know we haven't started the way we wanted but we're definitely we're not far off where we want to be um and I guess you know we just got to got we got to go out there and and um you know keep I guess learning from our mistakes but um you know we are playing some good footing and and I hope you know this week we we go out there and and prove it great that's all I have I so you got Max back this week Mark what's he bring to the team uh like I said before just the the attacking um attacking Brilliance I'd say um lots of energy he's young he's FY wants to get out there get his hands on the ball which is good um he's yeah and he's one thing that I don't think many people say but he's quite tough so um you know we're going to need that this week some some big boys running around so um I'm sure he'll have a good crack at them as well so it's it's exciting and lastly marike have you ever played at churchfield Park before and if so what have you told the other boys about it yes I actually played about a year and a half ago was for the Australia a team and um yeah like I like I said before the the crowd is like pumping it's um crazy can hard to hear and they're always going they're going off when the balls around so I just it's more so just having the boy just to you know soak it all in and enjoy it cuz um you know it's it's an experience you won't really get very often so yeah it's it'll be fun