He'd been brushed as a junior and the future looked bleak.<\/p>\n
Watch the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific and Super W seasons on the home of rugby, Stan Sport.<\/strong><\/em> All matches streaming ad free, live and on demand<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n "I said you him, 'son, you and 50,000 other children live that dream, so you really need to start thinking of something (else)," Nawaqanitawase's mother Fiona Tovehi recounted to 9News.<\/p>\n "It hits pretty hard when you hear it from your mum," Nawaqanitawase added.<\/p>\n "I definitely used that as a bit of motivation to get to where I am."<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Fans hold their breath as major Nadal news looms<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Shock nation puts hand up to host Rugby League World Cup<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Sydney locks in landmark UFC deal for fight fans<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Now, Nawaqanitawase can say he's one of the Wallabies' best.<\/p>\n "And he actually said 'I'll prove you wrong'," Tovehi said.<\/p>\n "So every now and then, now he'll say 'I proved you wrong, mum'."<\/p>\n The Waratahs winger, who made his Super Rugby Pacific debut in 2020, has re-signed with Rugby Australia through to the end of 2024.<\/p>\n The prolific 22-year-old made his Wallabies debut against Italy. It was a special occasion for the Sydneysider, who has Italian and Fijian ancestry.<\/p>\n "Words can't describe it," said Nawaqanitawase.<\/p>\n "Literally. I was the one asking (for boots) and now kids are asking for my boots. It's pretty cool.<\/p>\n "Actually, it was funny, because I could see him during the anthem, of the Italian one, and I was wondering if he was going to sing it or not," he smiled.<\/p>\n "But he was out there belting out the Australian anthem, which was good."<\/p>\n Nawaqanitawase was part of the Wallabies' Gold Coast training camp earlier this year under Eddie Jones.<\/p>\n Although the youngster has been an ace for the Waratahs, the Wallabies coach said there's no guarantee that he'll be in the starting squad on last year's form.<\/p>\n "Mark was impressive in his games for the Wallabies in Europe, but it is a new season in 2023 and he has to earn his position back in the squad," said Jones.<\/p>\n "He is fast and strong and he scores some spectacular tries, but he's at his best when he's doing the hard yards for his team and working off the ball."<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here<\/strong><\/em><\/a>!\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
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