Nobody’s perfect but he always wants to improve, and he always put his body on the line for his Razorback family.” Munoz said that “ The grind never stops for him. Just looking at him other teams were intimidated and all he had to do was keep that fear in his opponents and that’s exactly what he did week in and week out.” Something else that made Langi stand out in the club game was his work ethic. “ Almost every game Langi would have a highlight reel hit. Langi played his club rugby with the East Palo Alto (EPA) Razorbacks, where according to former teammate Anthony Munoz, he was always a game changer. Having watched his older brother play for several years, he knew that his size, speed, and natural athleticism would translate well to the game. For various reasons football didn’t work out, so he turned to rugby. Eventually, football took Haupeakui to the College of San Mateo. Living in an area heavily populated by Pacific Islander gangs which included family members and friends, he said it was difficult to avoid the trouble, and if it wasn’t for sports keeping him busy he most likely would have ended up going down a path that he had no desire to go. hammer with speed to boot, grew up in San Mateo, California playing football as a means to keep himself out of trouble. I spoke at length with Langi and Sacramento head coach Luke Gross about the importance of PRO Rugby and how it’s providing the opportunity for players to be seen who otherwise would not have had the chance to get a look. One of the newest capped USA Eagles is making a name for himself in the inaugural season of PRO Rugby playing 8 man for the Sacramento Express. Sooner rather than later, you’re going to think of this man: LangiLangi Haupeakui. GLASGOW : S Hogg T Naiyaravoro, M Bennett, P Horne, T Seymour F Russell, G Hart G Reid, P MacArthur, S Puafisi,L Nakarawa, J Gray (capt), J Strauss,Ĭ Fusaro, Ashe.SAN DIEGO, CA – Who do you think of when you hear the term “ Beast Mode?” Maybe it’s the Tuilagi brothers, New Zealand’s Julian Savea or Ma’a Nonu, or perhaps the USA’s own Danny Barrett. “These boys have shown their love of the game and are buying into the whole club atmosphere again.” “There is certainly no World Cup hangover here. “All the World Cup boys have been performing superbly since they came back and I am expecting more of the same this weekend. Toony said: “That happened because their ground was being used for a World Cup fan zone, so their fans will be desperate to see them again and the players will be keen not to let them down. “All that has been put to bed – it has gone and there is no link back to it.”īennett is one of six Scotland men who are back in Warriors colours, the others being Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell, new skipper Jonny Gray, Josh Strauss and Ryan Grant.Īnd Glasgow coach Gregor Townsend will warn them to expect a backlash from the home side, who have struggled to find form during a sequence of five away matches. He added: “I can’t wait to get back out there with Glasgow and it certainly won’t be a step down compared to my last match – the World Cup quarter-final defeat by Australia. He was a huge hero of mine and there I was actually chatting to him as a peer, which was so cool.”īut Bennett, one of Scotland’s key men at the World Cup, insists there will be no hangover from the stellar event that ended in agonising defeat for Scotland. “I even got to speak to Brian O’Driscoll, someone I never had the chance to play against or even meet before. I kept saying to Catriona, ‘Look who that is, look who that is…’ “My girlfriend Catriona was with me and we suddenly found ourselves mingling with all the absolute legends of the game. “I don’t even know the name of the big hotel the ceremony was in – all I can say is that it was really posh! “It was all a bit strange at first because I didn’t even know the award existed, let alone know I was in the running. Īlthough Bennett missed out on winning the Breakthrough Player of the Year award, he admitted being starstruck at the ceremony in London the night after the final.Īs he prepared for the clash in the Welsh capital, Bennett said: “Chuffed doesn’t come close to covering it. The Scotland centre will line up for Glasgow in their Pro12 clash with Cardiff Blues fresh from being officially named one of the top three young stars on the planet at the World Cup. MARK BENNETT insists he is ready to get back to domestic chores after getting to mix with some of the giants of the international game.
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