Rugby

Leva Fifita still waiting anxiously for some good news from home

Weeks after the huge volcano near Tonga, the Connacht lock has been unable to contact family members on the island of Vava’u

Leva Fifita: ‘My grandma, my oldest brother, my sister, most of my family are there [on Vava’u]. We don’t know. I think maybe they are okay, or not okay.’ Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Nathan Johns
Tue Feb 1 2022 - 19:00

On January 15th the underwater Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted. It lies 65km from the capital of Tonga, a nation made up of a number of islands in the Pacific. The blasts could be heard 2,000km away in New Zealand.

A tsunami followed, with the Tongan government reporting that waves as high as 15m had hit the country. Three people have been confirmed dead so far, but finding out the true extent of the damage remains a challenge given the communication difficulty across all the islands.

The disaster severely damaged the underwater cable that is vital to Tonga’s communication infrastructure. Slowly over the course of the two weeks since the eruption, good news stories of families finally being able to contact loved ones have been filtering through.

Not though for Connacht’s Leva Fifita. The Tonga-born lock is one of the countless expats abroad yet to receive word on the wellbeing of loved ones.

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The former Waikato and Grenoble forward, who joined Andy Friend’s squad at the beginning of this season, is hopeful that all is well since his family is largely based on the island of Vava’u. The Tongan government has said the capital of Nuku’alofa along with the smaller, more remote islands Mango and Fonoifua were the worst hit.

Still, 84 per cent of Tonga’s population has been affected by either the tsunami or ash from the volcano. Water shortages have hit many of the islands while there are added concerns of coronavirus being brought in by aid workers coming mostly from Australia and New Zealand. Tonga has up to now managed to stay largely Covid-free.

A lack of information on one's own home nearly three weeks after a natural disaster is staggering

With all these concerns piling up, time has not brought much solace since Vava’u remains uncontactable.

“No calls” confirms Fifita, speaking nearly three weeks after the disaster. “If we call there are no answers, it doesn’t connect. My grandma, my oldest brother, my sister, most of my family are there [on Vava’u]. We don’t know. I think maybe they are okay, or not okay.

“I’m worried but we are Christian so we keep praying. If I think they are not okay, if you look at the media, there are countries like New Zealand and Australia that are helping. So if our island was affected maybe their planes have already gone over there.”

Thankfully, some family members on the main island of Tongatapu – which we know was hit by the tsunami – have been confirmed as okay. Fifita has uncles there who have managed to contact his father who lives in America.

Significant export

Still, a lack of information on one’s own home nearly three weeks after a natural disaster is staggering. It makes the small matter of playing rugby 16,000km away in Galway seem trivial. That said, Fifita is grateful for rugby and what Connacht have done for him of late.

“They [players and staff] dropped me a text message the first day and I really appreciated that. It comforts you at the time. The manager Tim [Allnutt, head of rugby operations], he kept talking to me, asking me if they could help me, if I needed something to let them know. They could set up a charity [initiative] or something like that.

Transferring money is difficult – everything in Tonga is still down at the moment. Those donations from charity will come later

“Now, they still ask me, the players, about family back home and I say the same thing I said to you. I haven’t heard since everything happened but I truly hope and believe they are fine.”

Tonga’s most significant export is arguably rugby players. Their global presence has helped to raise the world’s attention to the disaster. Malakai Fekitoa, the Wasps and All Blacks centre who is originally from Tonga, has been one of the most prominent in his efforts to raise thousands in a relief fund. Fifita’s younger brother, Vaea, is also an All Black and a teammate of Fekitoa at Wasps.

Given the lack of contact though, Connacht’s Fifita is worried that it will take some time for those funds, not to mention the wages that Tongan players regularly send home, to arrive.

“Transferring money is difficult – everything in Tonga is still down at the moment. Those donations from charity will come later, Australia and New Zealand are committing aid but it will be after that the players, wherever they are, can send money later on when everything is better.

“Many Tongan players are playing overseas. I feel like it’s a gathering of the people from Tonga. Everyone you can see around the world, on social media they put their hands together to help the Tongan people.

“This [support] comforts the players from Tonga since they are surrounded by good feelings. I can’t ask for more. It’s very good to see that. It’s respectful.”

All the goodwill in the world though cannot replace Fifita’s communication with his family. The sudden absence of a relatable morning routine remains a significant hole.

“On social media on your news feed, if you can’t see your family normally they are there. Especially on Facebook when you wake up in the morning you see your family’s posts on your news feed, but since there is nothing, you miss them. Something is missing from yourself because you’re worried about your family.

“You keep praying for them. Keep believing.”