Experienced Muliaina aiming to lead by example for Connacht

Even Mils Muliaina was blown away by New Zealand's destruction of the Wallabies in Auckland a fortnight ago, and how the man who replaced him, Israel Dagg, has now been replaced by Ben Smith. Such is life with the All Blacks. Such are the expectations to succeed and to make sure you leave the jersey in a better place after wearing it.

One of only five players in history to have played 100 Tests for the All Blacks, Muliaina can safely be said to have done that much. He achieved an ambition shared by almost every Kiwi boy growing up when making his New Zealand debut against England in June 2003.

And even though Muliaina was only a replacement and the All Blacks lost to opponents reduced to 13 men at one point, and subsequently won a World Cup, six Tri Nations' titles, two Super Rugby and two ITM Cups in a stellar career, winning that first cap remains the highlight.

“The memory of losing still hurts, and against bloody England too,” he quips, “but it’s probably the most memorable experience of my All Blacks career. Just being able to take the jersey back to your room, although it was number 22, the blackness of it, and the silver fern hadn’t changed, and then receiving your cap at the after-match function with your family present – it was a few moons ago now but still a special time to remember.”

Better life

It had been a circuitous but ultimately pre-ordained journey. The second oldest of eight, Muliaina’s parents Lou and Ita moved from

Samoa

to Invercargill in the southernmost point of the South Island when he was just two. His dad was a policeman, teacher and a plumber in Samoa, while his mum and her family worked in forestry.

“But to try and get us a better life they prioritised getting jobs first and so my dad became a prison officer and my mum ended up being a nurse.

“They’ve since separated but she still loves it down there and so do most of my siblings. One brother is a milk farmer, another is a builder. I went down to my brother’s farm the other day to say goodbye and all I wanted was a taste of milk but I ended up being been there for a couple of calves being born as well, which was a little bit different.”

When it came to rugby his older brother, Faolua, who played for Southland against the Lions in 2005, was "a lot better than me" he freely admits.

“I was the younger brother that always cried and he was the one who won the battles for me, so I looked up to him a heck of a lot. He was a first/second five, but did his knee in high school and not having much money or knowing about physios and operations, he kept playing.”

It was also Faolua who led the trail from Southland Boys’ High School to Kelston Boys’ High School in Auckland.

“I was partying a lot with the (Southland) first XV – do they call it the first XV here? – ending up in McDonald’s and getting myself into trouble at 16. So he (Faolua) thought it would be a good idea for me to go up spend a year up there as well.”

Really fortunate

Muliaina didn’t want to go. He’d made the New Zealand under-18 ‘touch’ team to play against

Australia

in Auckland but was encouraged not to waste his mum’s money on a return ticket, stayed with friends of the family, played a year in Kelston, where he was spotted by their former teacher

Graham Henry

, who invited him to sign for Auckland.

“I was really fortunate, and I’m really thankful for the decision that my mother and brother made for me basically, because who knows what I would have ended up doing. I love sport but I probably would have ended up working in a factory and battling a little bit because school for me wasn’t a real biggie. I did love a couple of subjects but sport for me was everything, especially rugby, and I’m just thankful I was a little bit good at it.”

The 100th, and last cap, in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina was a bittersweet affair. He'd struggled with a hamstring strain before tearing his pectoral muscle in the pool win over Canada, before then going off at half-time against the Pumas with a fractured shoulder which ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.

“I sort of limped to 100,” he confesses wryly. “But to be sitting in the stands (at the final) with DC (Dan Carter) and Colin (Slade) on the edge of our seats, particularly in the last few minutes was special, and to be given a medal, because we didn’t really expect to be given one. It felt a little bit funny but it was nice to know you were a part of the team’s success.”

Sentimental things

“Don’t ask me where my medal is because I wouldn’t have a clue. I’m not really big on sentimental things. I’ve given a few of my jerseys away to charities, but what am I going to do with an All Blacks’ jersey? I’m not going to wear it and parade it around the streets.”

After three years in Japan, wonderful but for the rugby, and a Super 15 medal last year with the Chiefs, Muliaina would assuredly have been better rewarded in France. He hasn't come cheap mind, and was also unveiled as Mazda's brand ambassador on Wednesday in the Sportsground.

He loves the DVD of The West's Awake, a documentary style year with Connacht, although drawing from that and the memory of the All Blacks' tendency for a while to start games poorly in the overcharged aftermath of the haka, he hopes to help Connacht "make good decisions" and abide by the maxim "fire in the belly and cool heads upstairs".

Media frenzy

Mention of that is a cue for reminding Muliaina how, in his book

Living The Dream

, he said that he’d “lost respect” for brian O’Driscoll for creating such a fuss over the

Tana Umaga

and

Keven Mealamu

spear tackle in the 2005 first Lions Test.

“At the time I thought Brian O’Driscoll was driving that. Knowing Brian, I realise it wasn’t him driving the media frenzy, it was the Lions’ management, which in the end gave us more motivation. I’ve got nothing against Brian, and what he’s achieved, and knowing Brian now, I know it wasn’t him driving that. He’s a hell of a good man.”

Muliaina knows there will be “horizontal rain” in days and nights to come, but already wishes he’d pitched up here sooner.

"Everything that Pat said about Galway and Connacht, and what he wanted to achieve here, I just loved that, and if I can come here and help make something happen for them, that really drives me. That was the reason I chose Connacht, and success to me is top six. It's the one goal I want to see Connacht succeed."

The elbow injury which will delay his debut until October/November isn’t ideal for he wants to make a contribution on the field as well as off it.

“I’ve got to. That’s the only way. I wouldn’t have come here otherwise. That’s the only way to be a leader really; you’ve got to lead by example.”