MARSEILLE, France — Trying to shift Fiji flanker Levani Botia once he’s clinging to the ball at the breakdown is like “hitting a wall,” according to a rival player. Botia is one of the best defenders in the world, having started his career in the centers, and if England are to beat Fiji this weekend then they will have to nullify his incredible skills.
England have trained this week with Botia in mind, using one of their own to play the 34-year-old’s role. The man himself, nicknamed “The Machine” and “Demolition Man”, finds this a bit strange. The ever-changing nuances of rugby mean the intricacies of breakdowns require a supercomputer to decipher, but Botia sees it with perfect clarity. “What I do on the pitch, people say it’s hard, but nothing is difficult,” Botia said Thursday. “Anyone can do this. If you play rugby you can do it, it’s not difficult.
“I just look at what’s in front of me. I just look at what’s good for the team, I choose what’s good on the pitch. When the game starts, people are tired, the right moment will come.”
It’s all wonderfully understated, but Botia has already left a trail of rugby carnage in his wake. He is one of the most admired players in the sport – extremely calm and humble, but with the ability to influence a match in the blink of an eye. Saracens saw this to their cost against La Rochelle in the Champions Cup in April. Other opposition players speak of him with a sense of admiration and respect.
“The best thing about him is his technique,” England number 8 Billy Vunipola said earlier this week. “He’s very quick to decide whether he should go for the ball or not. Then it’s his size and his low center of gravity. If you give him an opportunity it becomes difficult, but there’s no than him.”
That phrase “it’s not just him” is a no-brainer when assessing Fiji’s many threats, because selflessness anchors their mantra. “It’s not just me, I work in a team, I don’t work alone every time,” Botia says. “That’s what people say. For me, I just focus on how teamwork brings everything together.”
Botia’s path to international rugby is relatively unique, but it began in Fiji as a rugby-obsessed youth. “I’m from the main island [in Fiji]Viti Levu and my province is Naitasiri, in the middle of the island,” Botia said. “They always said I come from the bush, I come from the mountains.
“I think if you ask any Fijian, who plays rugby now or the young kids back home, everyone loves rugby. At home we would sometimes try to play but we didn’t have any rugby ball. So we used anything – empty bottles., some of us used coconut or something like that, just to play rugby. That was something that started us a challenge every time because we watched our brothers play for a few years when we were kids.
“When I was a kid we didn’t have electricity, but we had a generator. So we took him up to the mountains where we tried to find reception to watch TV. Rugby is like something that runs through our blood, it doesn’t.” It doesn’t matter how old you are. We have just climbed the mountain. They are always behind the players when there is a match against Fiji. ”
On Thursday, 10,600 miles from Viti Levu, he recalled those moments in front of a small group of journalists in Marseille with assistant coach Graham Dewes at his side.
Dewes was part of the Fiji team that reached the 2007 quarter-finals after scoring in that famous victory over Wales. They were the last Fijian team to qualify for the knockout stages, and when they got that shocker, coincidentally, Botia was watching them from Fiji in his job as a prison guard.
“I think that’s what rugby gave me. It took me somewhere I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect to work in a prison,” Botia said. “It wasn’t my decision.
“Working in a prison is not easy, as you can see from the outside. But working inside is a bit difficult. You are dealing with people who have done something wrong, breaking the rules, the law. So it’s not easy.”
He played in Warden’s Sevens team and caught the eye of Fiji Sevens legend Waisale Serevi during a local competition and was quickly integrated into the national setup where he played on the world stage. “I played a match and the goalkeeping team coach found me a small club to play for and they invited me to go play 7,” Botia said. “After that I changed my mindset to playing rugby sevens until I had an option in 2013. That was my first [Test] for the Flying Fijians and my first match was against Portugal.”
Botia came on in the second half in crosses and scored in the 36-13 victory in Lisbon. “It gave me the confidence to try to change my mentality and focus on the 15. So I worked on it every day in training, and with the help of my family and friends and some experienced players, it helped me for my journey.”
In 2014, PROD2 La Rochelle appealed. “I worked every day to try to find the right path for me. Luckily, I got a contract to play in France,” he says. “It was part of my dream when I was a child.” Botia remembers watching Rupeni Caucaunibuca fight for Fiji in the 2003 World Cup, then for Agen and Toulouse. There was also Vilimani Delasau, one of their other stars, who played in Clermont Auvergne, Montauban and Toulouse.
“I expected to come here for a medical joke, just for three months,” Botia added. “When I arrived, it was almost the end of the season, there were five games left. So I decided to leave the prison. I had to leave because I had the opportunity and I couldn’t wait to seize it.”
Botia alternated between centers and the wing, but over the last decade he has since moved to the back line. Having seen both sides of the coin gives him a unique perspective on the game. “I do my homework every time,” Botia says. “I try to watch training and the match every day, and see the mistakes I make on the pitch. I’m learning every day so I have to improve what I do, improve on my last mistakes. Rugby n It’s not perfect, so I have to do some things better every day.
“I’m focusing on the forwards. For now, I’ve just closed the book on the back line, I stick to what the coach wants and follow the game plan. It’s easy for me .”
It makes it look simple, but of course it is complex work. Botia deflects the praise, so it’s up to Dewes to sum up what makes him so special. “One of the best things about Levani is he can lead with his words, but he can lead a lot with his actions,” Dewes said. “He has his experience here in France and that also helps, especially for our young players, to know what a real professional looks like.
“For example, as we were driving here, I asked him what his plans were for today. He said, ‘I’m just going to relax, rest my legs for training tomorrow.’ young players will be on the move. Seeing the sights of Marseille, which is good, he concentrates on the game at the weekend and he will have plenty of time for sightseeing later.
“On the field it’s very important, but he chooses. It’s not like he attacks the ruck every time. When the opportunity presents itself, the ‘Demolition Man’ will probably be there.”
England will closely monitor the “Demolition Man” on Sunday in Marseille. Botia follows the same pre-match routine, like any other day, where it is anchored around prayer. He prays when he wakes up and before each meal. Before facing England at the Stade Vélodrome on Sunday, Fiji will hold together and pray again. And then they’ll go out and try to reach the semifinals for the first time, playing a game they love.
“It’s rugby, it’s not something to eat each other, it’s something we have to love, it’s our job,” Botia said. “We love playing rugby, it’s something that gives us passion and knowing each other, no matter the color, where we come from, it’s something that brings us together.
“I think it’s one of the games of a lifetime, the best time for the team, especially for the many young boys in this team. To play at this level, the boys can’t wait to get on the pitch against England.”
