Levani Botia’s family will walk up the mountain, start the generator and look for the television signal. Once the picture is sharp enough, the Fiji flanker’s friends and relatives will sit down and cheer on their Test heroes.
Some 10 hours’ time difference and 17,000km away from Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, in a little village in Naitasiri province, the locals will cheer on the Demolition Man in Fiji’s World Cup quarter-final against England. Botia earned his nickname at La Rochelle for a string of peerless back-row performances, bulldozing Europe’s best teams off the ball time and again.
Any errant breakdown work from England in Marseille on Sunday, and Botia will pounce. The former prison officer knows all about controlling unruly law breakers, but the 34-year-old definitely knows far more than that about locking down Test rugby’s breakdown.
“When Fiji are playing rugby, we’d take the generator to the mountain, then we’d try to find reception to watch the game on the TV,” said Botia.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what you do, how old you are, in Fiji rugby always matters.
“It’s in our blood. Sometimes there’s no rugby ball, so we’d use empty bottles, or a coconut or something, just to play.
“I come from the Naitasiri province. They always say I’m from the bush, but I’m from the mountains.”
Botia was spotted while playing the Prison Warden Rugby Sevens competition in Fiji, and stepped up to play the short-format game for Fiji in the 2011 Pacific Games.
He later joined La Rochelle as a short-term injury replacement in March 2014. Botia was meant to stay for three months — and never left.
The cult hero in the team coached by Simon Raiwalui has risen right to the top from ProD2 along with La Rochelle, helping the French side win back-to-back European Champions Cup titles.
Proud to call France his second home, Botia admitted his years in the prison service still colour his approach to rugby.
“It’s one of the things that helps me on the field,” said Botia. “Life in the prison is different, and sometimes it can help to think about that.
It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what you do, how old you are, in Fiji rugby always matters
“I think that’s what rugby gave to me, took me somewhere I didn’t expect to be.”
He added: “Working in the prison, it’s not simple, as you can see from outside. You’re dealing with people breaking rules, breaking laws, it’s not easy.
“We liked [the inmates] as well — the only difference is they had broken laws.”
Botia is regarded as one of the game’s foremost breakdown operators, but the man himself insists anyone can master the art of the turnover.
“I don’t think it’s that hard, what I do, anyone can do,” said Botia. “You just need some technique, and you’ve got to really enjoy playing rugby.
“I know what they say, and some people ask me some questions too, but I just try to do my job for the team.
“I just work with what’s in front of me. I didn’t learn anything specific, I just do what’s good for the team.”
