Kelli Saunders
Staff Writer
Jonah Tavai is tackling his goal of travelling to London for rugby.
Mira Costa senior Jonah Tavai joined the Rhinos Rugby Academy for its tour in London to play against Middlesex Rugby and London Irish, two of the top Rugby teams, after his fundraising goal on GoFundMe for the trip succeeded.
“I was very excited to be given this experience,” Tavai said. “I was finally able to cross it off of my bucket list and I am still so grateful for everyone giving me this opportunity to show what I have out in London.”
Tavai received this opportunity when he played against the Rhinos a week before the trip. The coach of the team, Elvis Seveali, recognized his talents and invited him to join them in London, Tavai said. Tavai started a GoFundMe in order to raise money to travel with the team and he completed his goal of 2,000 dollars within 3 days.
“A lot of people back up my family and give us a boost anytime we need financial support,” Tavai said. “I think a lot of people were motivated to donate because they realized that it was a great chance for me to do something I love.”
While in London, Tavai and his team stayed at Wellington College in Crowthorne, England. The tour lasted a week and the team played against Middlesex Rugby and London Irish at the London Irish Stadium. The team won both of their games by over 40 points.
“When I accepted the offer to play with the Rhinos I was looking for a challenge,” Tavai said. “We ended up winning all of our games to win the tournament.”
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When the team was not practicing or playing Rugby it was able to explore the city. Tavai visited the sights of Big Ben, the London Tower, and Twickenham Stadium where professional rugby teams play.
“It was really fun to travel with my team and see London for the first time,” Tavai said. “Visiting Europe is something that I’ve been looking forward to do.”
Tavai is currently playing for Mira Costa, the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy, the Los Angeles Rugby Club, the SoCal Griffins Regional All-Stars team, and the Rhinos. He has won two championships at nationals with Mira Costa and won three championships and the National Sevens for the SoCal Griffins.
“I like playing for other teams, however, that take rugby more seriously and travel outside of the United States,” Tavai said.
Learn more about Jonah’s achievements
Tavai hopes to achieve his goal of being selected for the All American team for high school rugby. In the future he wants to continue playing rugby while also advancing his football career. He currently has offers to play football in college and wants to play professionally in the future.
“There is a part of my head that says to pursue rugby in the future if I get a scholarship but it is not my main sport even though it’s my favorite sport,” Tavai said. “If there are colleges here who want me on their team I am all for it but if not I will take a different route.”
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