The 22-year-old on Wallaby debut who went from sleeping in an office to starting a Bledisloe Test
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On Sunday, former Auckland schoolboy Hunter Paisami will make his test debut for the Wallabies just over a year after he was sleeping in is agents office. Studying Mangere College, Paisami played for the Blues youth sides before he and his family move to Melbourne when he was 17.
“I made the move here with no family, didn’t know anywhere. Had to restart all over again.
“Early on, when I first moved in, I almost gave up after a couple of weeks, I was just going to go home.
“I had no car, nowhere to stay, I stayed at Kangaroo Point at my agent’s, but it just didn’t feel like home, it just felt like I was being punished.”
“I just decided to back myself and hopefully play a good season with Wests.
😲Wow! You will struggle to find a better try saving tackle! Hunter Paisami sums up what @BrisCity_NRC were all about today as they narrowly defeated Melbourne Rising 24-21.
MORE: https://t.co/bx0W51b7EQ pic.twitter.com/mE7lyJFKGb
— RUGBYcomau (@rugbycomau) October 12, 2019
While he has also made it a habit of smashing opposition players backwards for the Reds with the Waratahs' James Ramm one of the many victims of a Paisami hit during Super Rugby AU.
Hunter Paisami went BOOM 💥
— Fox Rugby (@FOXRUGBY) July 7, 2020
📺 WATCH REPLAY : https://t.co/srZbAcJls8#SuperRugbyAU #HitoftheWeek pic.twitter.com/nbas4V2qmJ
TRY OF THE WEEK | Super Rugby AU Rd 3
— Super Rugby/TRC (@SuperRugby) July 20, 2020
The @Reds_Rugby executed this pearler of a try with Jock Campbell credited with the finish. How’s the line from Hunter Paisami!#TryOfTheWeek #SuperRugby25Years #SuperRugbyAU pic.twitter.com/MwElep90bY
Jordan Petaia is viewed as the future of the Wallabies midfield but with the youngster spending plenty of time on the sidelines with injuries, Hunter Paisami seize his opportunity with both hands and cement himself as a regular test starter for the Wallabies.