Dakuwaqa "the shark god" becomes a crowd favourite [1]
Monday, April 25, 2016 - 17:55. Updated on Sunday, May 8, 2016 - 20:10.
Fijian 7s rugby player Masivesi Dakuwaqa is partially blind with a blurred left eye. But this hasn’t stopped Masivesi from being a phenomenal player for Fiji and the 22 year-old has become a crowd favourite
Masivesi helped Fiji to win the recent Hong Kong Sevens tournament. He was also a top try scorer at the Vancouver Sevens tournament where he scored 6 tries for Fiji.
The 22 year-old Masivesi hails from the Island of Moala in the Lau group. He reportedly lost sight out of his left eye as a young child after a rubber band struck him in the eye. Masivesi told the Fiji Times, “After the rubber band hit my eye, we tried a herbal remedy applied to the eye on regular basis and the vision on my left eye has been blurred ever since.”
"I don't see it as an issue when playing. The accident happened so long ago, that I have become accustomed to it. It's normal really and in no way a challenge when I play."
Masivesi debuted for Fiji earlier this year. To see him score a brilliant try against South Africa, click link http://www.worldrugby.org/video/154094 [2]
Masivesi is often referred to as the one-eyed rugby player, but in Fiji his last name "Dakuwaqa" is the name of a mythological shark god that guided and protected Fijian fisherman from the dangers of sea.