They used to say rugby was a diverse game but it was always about body type rather than skin colour.
You could play prop if you were hefty, lock if you were tall and skinny, loose forward if you were strong and fast, halfback if you were nuggety, and any other position in the backline if you had skinny legs and didn’t fancy getting caught at the bottom of a ruck.
But wander the sidelines of a premier club rugby game in Oamaru now and you can’t help but be struck by how diversity refers more to ethnic background than body shape.
And Tongans.
Lots and lots of Tongans.
While the country clubs retain a largely European base, Oamaru teams Old Boys and Athletic Marist rely heavily on their Tongan players.
The transformation to a multicultural rugby scene has not been without its issues — there have been occasional incidents of racism, and reports of stalwart members of some clubs becoming disaffected by the "browning" of local rugby — but there is a general sense the sport is a powerful unifying force.
"Without the Polynesian players — without Tongans, predominantly — we wouldn’t have club rugby in Oamaru," Jackson says.
"We feel huge gratitude for the Tongan community for the way they support local rugby.
"They bring so much talent and intensity, a love and passion for the game, smiles on faces — they love their rugby. They also bring a lot of flair, obviously."
The Old Boys premier team is 95% Pasifika and about 65% Tongan, and has been guided for the past four years by the only Tongan coach in the Citizens Shield, Kilifi Fangupo.
Fangupo came to New Zealand in 2004 when he was offered a rugby scholarship to Waitaki Boys’ High School.
"That was huge for me. I never thought I would have a chance to come to a place like this," Fangupo says.
"It was good at Waitaki. I had some really good mates. I got homesick, but I didn’t tell anyone. I had been given a great opportunity to come here, so I wasn’t going back.
"Rugby was really good for me. You play on the Saturday, and you have social nights with
Fangupo later starred for North Otago when it won the Meads Cup in 2007, got a contract in Hawkes Bay, and played one test for Tonga in 2009 before returning south.
He says rugby is "really important" to the Tongan community in Oamaru, and the Old Boys club is a reflection of that.‘‘If you look around Oamaru, a lot of the Tongans are rugby players.
Rugby brought them to New Zealand.
"We grew up hearing about Jonah Lomu. Everyone knew he was Tongan and we wanted to play rugby like him.
"For some Tongans, rugby is a way to feel good about themselves. With Old Boys, it’s not just about rugby for us. It’s a brotherhood. We have big family nights during the season to get all the women and kids involved, too."
Pasifika culture is so important to Old Boys, the club’s premier team has developed its own haka and song to perform after games.
Fangupo, who moved into coaching after suffering complications from a dislocated knee in 2011 but made a partial playing comeback last year, says he has heard his share of taunts directed at Pasifika players.
"I wouldn’t say it’s racist but people sometimes say things. You might hear ‘coconut’ or ‘black bastard’ or whatever. It happens everywhere, I guess."
He says Tongans like to play "hard-out rugby".
"They like to be physical, they think they are the toughest guys on the field, and they want to run straight and smash people.
"For me, I started to see the big picture when I came to New Zealand. It’s not good for your body — especially your brain — to play the Tongan way."
Discipline has occasionally been a problem for some Tongan players, who have been over-represented in front of the local judiciary.
Fangupo, though, maintains the situation is much better now than it was when he returned to Oamaru for his second stint as a player.
"I think, back then, some Tongan players felt like, ‘Man, there’s a lot of white people here, and they are all looking at me like I am tough and scary’.
"Maybe some Tongan players then think they can get away with dirty play or whatever. I don’t really like that sort of thing. It’s just stupid. We’re there to have fun and enjoy the game."
Jackson echoes Fangupo’s assertion that any major concerns over the ability of Tongan players to stay disciplined have evaporated.
He believes respected senior players have taken personal responsibility to ensure the game is played the right way.
The North Otago union facilitates the arrival of British and Canadian players to the local scene but it does not need to import Tongan players as there are so many young men in the town.
"They’re a big part of the community here now," Jackson says.
"We’ve got third-generation Tongans, in some cases. Our players bring relations or friends here, which our clubs are very grateful for."
North Otago has a Pasifika representative on the club council, and employs Old Golds veteran Lemi Masoe in a Pacific Islands mentor role.
The union has also got exciting young Tongan loose forward Filipo Veamatahau working in a schools coaching role this year.
