Mark Nawaqanitawase is looking to end his Rugby Union stint with an Olympic medal as he makes his return to the Sevens program.
Nawaqanitawase will conclude his time in Rugby at the Paris Olympics starting on Wednesday before taking a deal with NRL club Sydney Roosters.
It caps a whirlwind two years that began with a debut against Italy, a player of the match performance against Wales to go with playing every match at the Rugby World Cup.
“It’s been quite a crazy year so it was mind blowing to think this was an opportunity," he told reporters.
"I got a call to come in and have a run and more and more each day I’m getting better and more comfortable with this."
Nawaqanitawase was overlooked for the July series by Joe Schmidt amid his commitment elsewhere but former Eastwood coach John Manenti knew the value the towering winger could bring to his side.
“I’ve had conversations with Mark in the past and he’s open minded about it, he wants to play footy," Manenti told Rugby.com.au back in April.
“From my point of view, I just want to know what his appetite was going forward. Obviously, his priority is Waratahs or Wallabies but if those things didn’t happen then what was his appetite and he said he just wants to play footy.
“It’s one of those things we’ll revisit at some stage. At the moment, he’s got the hold his Tahs spot down and push for a Wallabies job but we’ll continue to talk with him.
“I’ve always been pretty close to him and I’d only want him if he was all in in the sense of I don’t want him to do me a favour, I want him to do it because he wants to come and help the team win a medal."
The 23-year-old was keen to repay the faith shown in him as he lived out an Olympic dream.
“I’ve always had John’s backing me so I’m glad I can hopefully return the favour and help them out with some performances on the field," Nawaqanitawase said.
“...It’s very special for myself. I get up watching it no matter what event or sport, it’s pretty crazy to think that I’ll be able to run out there and represent my country."
Nawaqanitawase is no stranger to the high-stakes Sevens environment, parachuted in for the 2022 Commonwealth Games as they finished fourth.
“I really enjoyed that experience," he notes. “It gave me a taste of what was such a big event like the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.
“It made it a pretty easy option to want to take part in because it’s one of the pinnacles of all sports so it’s pretty exciting.”
This time around, the former Waratah has the luxury of having several weeks in the program to better acclimatise to the shorter format, spending time with the group in Darwin following practice games against Fiji.
“(Darwin) was a good week with the boys. We were able to prep and build some more chemistry especially for us new boys like Corey and myself," Nawaqanitawase said.
“(Fiji) was a talented bunch of players to play against but also that first taste of Sevens games in a while, more so it was about getting much fit which I’ll have a couple of weeks to be able to make sure I’m prepared for these games.”
“I think Mark has done a really good job," captain Nick Malouf added.
"He’s been around us for a fair bit less but he’s got a real appetite to learn and understand.
“He’s got a different weapon with his physicality and power and just how we can unlock that and it fits within the piece of the puzzle.”
