Malakai Fekitoa: Shares heartfelt message ahead of Tonga switch.

[Rossm]

'Where my heart belongs'

Bobby Bridge reports:

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/rugby/malakai-fekitoa-tonga-rugby-sevens-20839465

Go for it, Malakai. Wishing you all the best of luck.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Having watched Ocean’s Apart and seeing how the Islanders have been treated it’s good to know there is a way back to play for their home countries, not ideal but a start.  Now a world Rugby needs to sort out the financing. 

Best wishes to Feks.

[WonkyWasp]

We shall miss you a lot, but go and do what you feel you should do.  Very good fortune and happiness always, and every success.  Thank you for all  your hard work for Wasps.

[jamestaylor002]

We shall miss you a lot, but go and do what you feel you should do.  Very good fortune and happiness always, and every success.  Thank you for all  your hard work for Wasps.

I don't think he's leaving Wasps is he?

[Neils]

We shall miss you a lot, but go and do what you feel you should do.  Very good fortune and happiness always, and every success.  Thank you for all  your hard work for Wasps.

I don't think he's leaving Wasps is he?

Hope not - think it is a few 7s games in the S France soon.

[Heathen]

Yep, just for the 7's. He deserves his chance.

[Covkid40]

Had anybody else noticed that later in the article it claims Mills will be missing for the rest of 2021
Fekitoa's revived international ambitions could be of some concern to Wasps, who are likely to be without fellow frontline centres Ryan Mills (foot) and Paolo Odogwu (knee) for the rest of 2021, while veteran option Jimmy Gopperth turns 38 later this month.

[MarleyWasp]

Looks like World Rugby will be streaming the entire tournament on their YouTube channel.

[DGP Wasp]

Yep, just for the 7's. He deserves his chance.

For now.  Ultimately this is a means to an end, that end being the full test team.  So we may start to see less of him during international windows.

Best of luck to him all the same.  Having watched the Worlds Apart documentary, this is a welcome shift for the smaller Pacific Island nations.

[MarleyWasp]

Not a great start for Tonga. They lost 47-5 to Samoa.

[Neils]

Not a great start for Tonga. They lost 47-5 to Samoa.

Samoa looked like a team whereas Tonga looked a bunch of individuals playing to qualify as 15s (two I think they said).

[MarleyWasp]

Tonga ended up losing to Ireland and Zimbabwe but scrapped a win against Mexico.

Ireland shocked France in the final, coming back from 12-7 down at half time to win 28-19

[andermt]

Fekitoa didn't play in the last game against Zimbabwe after he injured himself scoring a try against Mexico.  Hurt his shoulder after a typical 'robust' run. There was also one of his trademark hard defensive hits against Samoa that has been shared widely on social media over the weekend.

He put a post up last night, about disappointment they didn't qualify but mentioned there were 3 players in the team (including himself) who now qualify for 15's.