“When you get a call from Razor it’s pretty hard to say no.” According to new Crusaders signing Pepesana Patafilo, a call from the 6-time Super Rugby winning coach came as a shock.
Patafilo initially let the message from Scott Robertson go unanswered, assuming it was a prank.
“The text was, ‘hey Peps, it’s Razor here, let us know when you’re free to chat’ so I didn’t actually text back because I was like ‘oh nah that’s not Razor’. Then I got a voice message and it said, ‘hey Peps it’s Razor here’ so I thought oh I’d better call him back.”
The Wellington winger is fresh off an NPC Final win against Canterbury and will soon call the stadium of his latest triumph his home ground.
“I did have that in the back of my mind when we were playing because most of them [The Canterbury NPC Team] are in the Crusaders and I was like, ‘man they’re gonna be my teammates’ so I had a little giggle to myself.”
Patafilo dots down for Wellington during the 2022 NPC season - getty
Improvement sits high on the list of priorities for Patafilo as he wades into a team that boasts the likes of Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, and Leicester Fainga'anuku among their outside backs,
“That’s the crazy thing and the exciting thing. When you’re surrounded by good people and good players it just makes you better.”
“[I’m] just trying to be the best me, I’m not really trying to be anyone, I’m more just trying to improve myself so whatever happens, happens. That’s probably my goal.”
Patafilo will be looking to contribute to what has been an incredible period of consistent success at The Crusaders as Scott Robertson and his team chase a 7th consecutive title in 2023.
