Comparisons with Jonah Lomu are as weighty as they come so it is little surprise that Joe Cokanasiga admits to struggling with such a burden when he burst on to the scene.
Indeed, it is more than four years since a man-of-the-match performance on his Six Nations debut earned Cokanasiga rave reviews. But in the ensuing period the Bath wing has managed 11 more caps.
Cokanasiga, now 25, has endured significant injury problems since his breakthrough, including at the 2019 World Cup when he scored two tries in his only appearance, against USA, but was blighted by a knee injury during the tournament.
Eddie Jones wasted little time in calling on him when fit, but his England appearances have been sporadic. He maintains an impressive strike rate – 13 tries in 15 Tests – but has at times, understandably, given the impression of struggling under the weight of expectation that comes with lofty comparisons for someone so young.
Cokanasiga retains the physical attributes to be a devastating weapon for England and now, pursuing another World Cup campaign, he has developed coping mechanisms to handle the pressure.
“It is [tough] because you get a lot more pressure than you deserve,” he says. “Something Katie Mobed [the performance psychologist] has always said to me is that pressure is a privilege.
“Looking back I wish I knew a lot more so I could deal with it better. When it all happened it was, ‘this is unreal’, and then when you get dropped you feel it’s the end of the world, but in reality it’s not. Now I know how to control my emotions around it and ignore certain stuff.”
Cokanasiga has trimmed down to a shade under 18st (114kg) without losing any of his considerable power and he has been undertaking breathing exercises and writing journals as part of a more mindful approach, that has helped discover a sense of purpose.
He is yet to appear under Steve Borthwick but at England’s World Cup training camp, Cokanasiga cuts a far more comfortable figure than four years ago, at peace with the expectation that follows him.
“It’s a long process, going through my whole life from when I was born, how I grew up. My ‘why’ has always been there, it’s just tapping into it. My ‘why’ is always my family, but you forget that you play for yourself as well.
“I always play for young Joe who wanted to be in that Rugby World Cup. I think back to 2015 and being a mascot for Fiji in that first game [against England], standing there and thinking: ‘I want to do this, I want to play at Twickenham.’ I like to think back and play for the young Joe. It’s having the right balance, but family will always be my why.”
The Cokanasiga family has been through the mill of late. Joe’s father, Ilaitia, a former British army sergeant who served for 14 years, was stuck in Fiji in 2020 and unable to re-enter the UK due to immigration rules. At the time, Joe’s mother, Kitty, had a brain tumour but Ilaitia was not permitted to return home to care for her as a result of shameful treatment by the British government inflicted on the Cokanisigas and other ex‑servicemen.
Thankfully, things have improved. Ilaitia is back in the UK and Kitty is in recovery. The family grew during that turbulent period with Joe’s sister, Missy, having a baby girl and after Ilaitia was forced to miss out on the 2019 World Cup in Japan, the hope is that the Cokanasigas will be together in France this year.
“One of the good things is that it’s brought our family a lot closer together,” says Joe. “My aim now is to fight for the other soldiers who don’t have a voice and that’s an ongoing process. The biggest blessing for us is that my sister gave birth around that time, so it was our little sunshine.
“I would love my family to be [at the World Cup]. Luckily, my mum came out [to Japan], but the main one now is my niece. She has her passport now, and I want her out there.”
