IT SEEMS that Glasgow Warriors' 2015 triumph in the Guinness PRO12 is turning out to be a gift that keeps on giving. Certainly when Tjiuee Uanivi, the Namibian lock, heard the Scottish club were interested in signing him, it was memories of watching that game that spurred him to chase the deal.
A few weeks later, he got his wish, agreeing a 12-month contract, and now that he has actually pitched up in the country and started pre-season training with his new teammates, Uanivi could not be more delighted with with everything he has found.
"I have been settling in, I am still finding my feet," he said during his first media session in Scotland. "I must say it has been good. The boys are good and there is a great team atmosphere here, which makes it so easy.
"My goals are pretty simple, I just want to do the best I can every time I get a chance. I am really looking forward to contributing anyway I can."
The thing is that he has big boots to fill. When Leone Nakarawa, the Fijian who had become such a crowd favourite at Scotstoun with his outrageous one-handed offloads and ability to find space all over the field, was allowed to leave and chase a massive payday in France, Glasgow were left looking for a forward who might be able to fill his role in the team.
There was never any chance of finding anybody with the same unique X-factor as Nakarawa. After all, not even the Fijian knew he was going to develop into an international star when he arrived in Glasgow. Don't forget that his eye catching brilliance in that 2015 final came after he got carried away and started to ignore instructions from coach and captain not to try anything to off-the-wall.
Even accepting that nobody can ever supply the same range of inventive play, Uanivi has still been brought in in the hope that he can become the kind of player who can provide the same level of inspiration to his teammates.
It was doing just that with Namibia in last year's World Cup that propelled him from the ranks of a dirt-tracker in the second division in France, where he was playing with Brive, into the Super Rugby fold with the Sharks and from there to Glasgow.
Asked about Nakarawa and his ability to fill the Fijian boots, Uavini was circumspect. "I have seen quite a lot of him and he is a great player, I am flattered to be compared with him," he said.
"I had see Glasgow play a couple of times, especially the final against Munster when they played some pretty good rugby. That was one of the things that attracted me to come here, the rugby they play. When I heard they were interested I was anxious to come.
"I see myself as more somebody who likes to play the ball, has a good work rate and I pride myself on my lineout work.
"The way Glasgow believe the game should be played was something I was very much attracted to. They believe in running the ball. They play a fast-tempo game and I think that is something I can add value to because it is similar to the strengths in my game."
Though a touch taller and a little heavier than Nakarawa – 6ft 7ins and 17st5lb – Uanivi has also some similarities with his rival, not least hands big enough to make the one-handed offload a speciality, a background in sevens and an ability to play in both the second and back rows, though a strong preference for the former.
"I played some rugby in Namibia, Then ended out playing sevens and it was through that I got the opportunity to be signed by Brive. That is how it all started. Then back to the Sharks now to Glasgow," was his potted version of his career so far.
All that did mean that though he had never been to Scotland before arriving to play, there was at least one familiar face in the squad when he did get here, having shared time in Brive with Mike Blair, who is now on the coaching team with Uanivi's new club.
The rest of his experience of British conditions mainly comes from having played in the World Cup last year when he was seen as one of the stand-out players in a Namibian side that performed above expectations and came within a point of beating Georgia thanks to a heroic defensive effort.
"Ask any player about the World Cup, and it is the biggest stage you can play rugby," he recalled. "I was really excited and really enjoyed it. I hope we qualify for the next one and we are already working towards that."
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