Moulding another Munster legend

WHEN HE arrived, the first cameo only painted a fragment of the complete Lifeimi Mafi.

It was last season. Bourgoin were in town for the second round of the Heineken Cup, and the new signing from Taranaki was warming the bench, but itching to get into the fray. Then in the 71st minute Declan Kidney introduced a pretty unknown quantity, but Munster and Europe witnessed what the fast-twitch fibres of the Pacific Islanders are all about: his first touch was an explosive 50-yard burst through midfield, a huge hand-off and from the next ruck, on-loan Saracens hooker, Andy Kyriacou, pounced for a try. Snapshots from this season paint the other half of Mafi: eating up the Stradey Park turf before nailing Dwayne Peel yards from the try-line and a quarter final replete with muscular hits on Anthony Allen that eventually saw the Gloucester centre replaced.

The exotically named Lifemi Mafi hits the graceful movements of an Islander but, lately, his actions and words are more dyed-in-the-wool Munster red. When his team-mate and neighbour in Cork, Rua Tipoki, spoke recently of a blood-drenched O’Gara giving it all for the cause against Clermont inspired him, Mafi too witnessed a moment that summed up what playing for his team means.