Being a young Kiwi lad, a young Polynesian boy, I was pretty close to my family. But when I moved to Sydney, I went from training twice a week, playing touch footy with my mates, to working full-time as a labourer and training professionally.
From Sonny Bill Williams
I've got confidence that I'll be able to pick it up eventually, but that's the reason I'm a full-time Sevens player this year: because I knew coming into it that it would be really tough, and I've got to give it my all.
It was a fairly normal happy upbringing. Not a lot of money, but a lot of love.
I grew up as a Polynesian kid in the Polynesian community, and I was this skinny white kid.
I didn't feel that I really fit in anywhere. So when I was young I always had to prove myself through my sporting ability.
My old man never used to cook, so we lived on takeaway. The others were always jealous.
I think I'm evolving, I'm always in search of bettering myself, how I can improve as a sportsman and as a person.
I am my own man now; I can think for myself, whereas when I was 20, 21, I always wanted to please others.
I do speak my mind a lot more than when I was younger. I guess that's just my Polynesian background. That's how we are: just sit back and try and fit in, try and make everyone else happy.
Now, I know a lot of things in the big man's world are not what they seem: a lot of people are out for themselves, and you can't always trust what someone says.
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