As a child, Nick Afoa imagined a life travelling the world – not as the musical theatre performer he’s become but as the champion rugby player he might have been. As we set off from AAMI stadium, passing under the coloured rings that overhang Olympic Boulevard towards the Yarra, thoughts of sporting prowess come to mind.
“I played in the New Zealand under 19s and we won the World Cup in South Africa,” Afoa says, without a hint of swagger. “That’s the peak of achievement at that level, and the next step was playing professional. It was make or break … and I broke.”
