A needle match

Chris Jones|Evening Standard|In Melbourne

13 April 2012

Do not adjust your set as Lome Fa'atau's legs hurtle into view when Samoa play England on Sunday. There will not be a problem with your television: his thighs are supposed to look like that.

The wing with the most original lower body in world rugby should get plenty of exposure at Melbourne's Telstra Dome because the skin between his socks and shorts is almost completely covered with tattoos.

Fa'atau is extremely proud of what you are about to see. In fact, he spent nine days enduring searing pain to ensure that the design which was inked on to his legs came out right. And even more amazing is the fact that his father was lying alongside him, having exactly the same work done on himself at the time.

The result is a very public proclamation of pride in family, country and the spirit of Samoa.

Fa'atau explained: "My tattoos are traditional and it's all about ancestry and the history of Samoa, showing how the islands were first found. The patterns on my body represent objects that were discovered.

"There are also certain patterns that represent your family and yourself and a lot of those come from the tattooist himself. He makes them up and it took around nine days to complete.

"It's a lot of pain to go through but I did it at the same time as my father and that was very important to me. The rest of my family were present to give support. You couldn't go wrong with that support.

"My family took it in turns to be there - they came in pairs - and sharing the load with my father was something I will never forget. I can't find the right words to explain just what it meant to be there with him having the tattoos done. It was that special."

The word "tattoo" is a corruption of the Polynesian word tatau, picked up by the early European sailors exploring the Southern Ocean. The presence of "britches" on Samoan males was commented on in many ships logs and they were sketched by artists on those voyages.

The tattoos are put on the body using sharp combs that are hit with a two-foot mallet and made from the central rib of a coconut palm leaf. The dye is made from the soot collected from burnt lama nuts.

During the process the tattooist is assisted by up to six helpers who are responsible for mixing the dyes, wiping away the blood, dipping, cleaning and sharpening the teeth of the combs. Another helper holds the skin tight.

Songs are sung to try to keep the person being tattooed occupied in case he starts to complain or cry, which, according to Samoan custom, is considered "disgraceful behaviour and unfitting for a man".

From a distance Fa'atau now looks as if he is wearing Lycra hamstring warmers. But up close the amazing detail and blue colour are clear to see. It immediately becomes apparent just how much agony Fa'atau must have gone through.

Given such an ordeal, he must find the general rough and tumble of rugby easy to deal with. Certainly the wing, who will be 28 on Thursday, made his mark on one Uruguayan player, receiving a yellow card for felling him with a high tackle in Samoa's opening World Cup match, which they won 60-13.

In the dressing room afterwards Fa'atau apologised to his team-mates for letting them down, showing the special bond that marks out the team. Fa'atau said: "We don't need special sessions to get a team spirit. It's unique to Samoa and our brotherhood is something that would be difficult to put into words. We put our bodies on the line, we will die for each other.

"We always want to express ourselves on the pitch and we enjoy each other's company. We keep each other honest on the pitch and that's why everybody is pushing for a place in the team. You see that in training with all the guys desperate to be part of the match squad.

"My try against Uruguay gave me confidence because there is no bigger stage than the World Cup and you want to show everyone what is possible with the ball in your hands.

"I just want to have a go and it's a winger's job to finish off the good work of the other players. We have a history of producing great wings like Inga Tuigamala and Brian Lima and it's an honour to wear the No 14 jersey in the team.

"But we have tremendous speed in our forward pack with guys like Maurie Fa'asavalu able to race in from 50 metres.

"We share the load really well and that's down to great team work."

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A needle match

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