Dad, how did you last for so long? Serevi Jnr asks Fiji legend the secret to his success
Trying to take after his famous father is a tall order, but sage advice comes from the ‘Little Magician’ who changed the way the game is played
Having led Fiji to the Sevens World Cup in Hong Kong in 2005, Waisale Serevi had every right to bask in the glory all by himself.
Instead, he handed the trophy to young Waisale Pierre Serevi ‘Junior’, championing his son on his shoulders while posing for photos.
Now 17 and an avid sevens player for Seattle-based team Eastside Lions in the United States, Serevi Jnr stood proudly by his father’s side at the launch of his new biography – Waisale Serevi, The King of Sevens – which he hopes inspires young Fijians to make their own mark in history.
“Of course I teach my own children [life lessons], too,” said Serevi, whose son and two daughters (Unaisi and Asinate) study in Seattle.
“I remember last year junior played his first sevens tournament outside Seattle in Vegas. He played the first game and lost, second game he lost, third game he lost.
Serevi asked his son post-match what he thought the most difficult thing about the day was.
“He said, ‘I was struggling with this, with this and with this’,” Serevi recalled. “He played three games and was really tired.”
Having played international rugby for 21 years – winning two World Cups and changing the face of the game in the process – Serevi could not help but laugh.