Warrior Roots | Amena Caqusau

• 5 Nov 2024
• Interviews

Amena was born in 2004. Growing up in Salisbury, England his father was the person who first introduced him to rugby.

For many rugby lovers, the sport is a family game. That runs true for Amena Caqusau.

Rugby was passed from father to son in his case. Growing up in Salisbury, England in a close-knit family, Amena’s mother wanted him to learn independence and sent him to study at Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, Scotland. From there, Amena’s rugby career progressed from the school game to grassroots club, to age-grade internationals, and finally to Glasgow Warriors.

These are Amena Caqusau’s Warrior Roots.

MY FIRST RUGBY MEMORY

Amena has featured on the wing for Scotland U18s and U20s, as well as in Warriors colours. The 20-year-old is in his second season at the club.

Growing up in Salisbury, Amena recalled his very first memory of picking up a rugby ball.

‘I lived down in England when I was young, and it was my dad who took me and my younger brother to Salisbury Rugby Club. I think that was the first time I put on pair of boots and had a rugby ball in hand.’

Amena went on to study at Queen Victoria School in Dunblane after his mother wanted him to grow independently away from home.

‘My mom says that I was, apparently, too attached to her growing up, being a mommy’s boy. She said she just wanted to send me away to build myself up and become independent.

‘So, I did primary school in England, and then I came up and went to boarding school at Queen Victoria in Dunblane, just outside Stirling. I was there for seven years, and pretty much picked up all my rugby there.’

FAMILY TIES TO RUGBY

Amena didn’t just have a close bond with his mother growing up. He credits his father as being one of his biggest rugby inspirations.

‘He played a bit with the British Army. He did a sevens tour with the army. They don’t do that anymore, unfortunately. But he travelled the world with that team.

‘He played a lot of sevens. He did 15s as well. He played fullback and fly-half. He was definitely better at passing the ball than me. Me, I just catch and run. So, I don’t have to do as much passing as other positions.

‘He stopped playing when he injured both his knees. I think after that, he almost put his own rugby aside. And then ever since, he has given his all with my rugby.’

RUGBY DEVELOPMENT IN DUNBLANE

Attending Queen Victoria School for seven years, Amena was over 400 miles away from his father. Amena found a role model in his school coach, Duncan McLay.

‘The most influential coach I had in my rugby career must be my school coach, Duncan McLay. Because I was in boarding school for seven years and with my family being down south, he was almost like the father figure for me during that time.

‘There were not many guys from my school that wanted to push forward with their rugby, and he obviously saw something in me. He’d take me to all my training sessions, whether they were late at night or early in the morning. He’d also take me to me regionals. Whether it was Glasgow 16s or anything else, he took me to the sessions, waited and then would take me back.

‘I’m just really grateful for him and his contribution to my career so far.’

FINDING MOTIVATION THROUGH HIS COACHES

Just like all professional sports, navigating the highs and lows of rugby proved challenging for Amena. Whilst he had the ambition and drive to represent his club and county, he acknowledged how important both his father and Duncan McLay have been in helping him stay motivated.

Sometimes I would almost lose motivation to keep going with it.

‘The year after I left school it was always on the back of my mind to just go back home down south and leave Scotland. Sometimes, I’d not enjoy training, and it would just make me think more. Luckily, I was then offered a contract by Glasgow and started enjoying my rugby again and look forward to training and playing again.

‘My dad and Duncan were the two people that were picking me up when I needed it. They pushed me, kept telling me that I could go somewhere with this. I’m so grateful for them.’

Self-belief in himself and from his two male role models helped propel Amena to where he is today.

THE RUNNER IN THE WINGER

Yet, the young winger wasn’t just involved with rugby at school.

‘When I was in school, other than rugby, I was in athletics. I did a bit of Scottish schools’ competitions. Mainly in events like the 100 metres and relays. I enjoyed a bit of that fast pace and all the events.’

As a winger, Amena prides himself on his pace and agility on the field. Athletics certainly helped influence his decision to pursue a position in the backs.

‘There’s a lot more to sprinting with the technique and stuff. Sprinting helped me work on my speed which I took into rugby. I kind of need my speed, especially for my position.

‘I had to stop with the with the sprinting at one point, because going forward with my rugby and growing up, I had to put on more weight. I had to give it up to prioritise my rugby.’

Amena has taken his sprinting background to his place on the wing. However, he hadn’t always started there. During his school years, Amena regularly played in the centres. It was when he focused on playing professionally that he cemented his position on the wing with his lightning pace.

RUGBY HEROES

For young athletes like Amena, having other players to look up to—to find your own style of play by watching others—has been crucial. He commented on how players with southern hemisphere roots influence his playing style.

‘In the game now, I watch Sevu Reece of New Zealand, Israel Folau from Australia, and Semi Radradra of Fiji. I like how Fijian wingers play and the things they do when running the ball.

‘I also enjoyed watching Niko Matawala when he was at Glasgow. He was the type of player that first drew my eyes to this club. When Niko was here, he always found a way to the try line.

‘In terms of developing my own style, I obviously need to play to what Franco and the other coaches want. But I’d say that I’ll play a similar style of rugby to those southern hemisphere players. I love that Fijian style: bringing as much flair to the pitch as possible.’

Amena also said that his father’s love of sevens has also shaped his skillset as a winger.

‘I enjoy, as does my dad, a lot of sevens. I’ve been to the last two Melrose sevens. My team made the final last year and lost. But it was good experience, nonetheless.

‘In sevens, the only difference is that you get a lot more ball. And then for like a player like me, you get a lot more space. It’s all you could ask for really.’

Salisbury was Amena’s first ever rugby club. However, it was GHA that became his Scottish club of origin on his way to becoming a Glasgow Warrior.

‘After my schoolboy rugby, I did a season at GHA, which was really good. They were supportive, and they looked after me. I learnt a lot of my rugby there.’

RUGBY TRANSITIONS

Meanwhile, Amena achieved age-grade caps with Scotland U18s and U20s, along with several of his peers in the Glasgow Warriors academy.

The academy set up at Glasgow allows the younger players to regularly train with the senior men’s squad. Whilst Amena is not the youngest player in the academy, he has certainly recognised a difference between age-grade rugby and the senior men’s game.

‘The game is a lot more physical, faster as well at senior level. I think it was a big step-up in terms of intensity and speed of the game.

‘Being at GHA helped me with the transition. All the guys there looked after me, so they made it easier for me.’

The young winger may have been initially drawn towards Glasgow Warriors due to Niko Matawala’s incredible try-scoring abilities, but it is the culture that Head Coach Franco Smith has created that has captured Amena’s loyalty.

‘For me, it is the coaches with much of it stemming from Franco that creates this positive culture. Franco gives opportunities to young players. You can see that with the likes of Ben Afshar, Gregor Hiddleston. They’ve worked hard to get the number of games they’ve been selected for.

‘It’s knowing that we have opportunity here, and that we’re looked after as well.

‘It goes to show, if you do work hard and do your part, then Franco will give you a turn at some point.’

LIFE OFF THE PITCH

Outside of rugby, Amena shares a flat with fellow academy peer and winger Kerr Johnston. The two young backs regularly indulge in pay-day Nandos and PlayStation sessions to unwind from rugby.

‘Me and Kerr are big on Nandos. We used to do payday Nandos. We’ve not been doing it lately, but we’ll probably pick it up again. We used to rack up all the chillis so we could get a free starter or main.

‘I’m a pretty chill guy generally. When we get the day off, usually on Wednesdays, it’s just me and Kerr. We’re a two-man band. We go do some recovery sauna, get some food and then back at the flat jump on the PlayStation.

‘When I’ve got longer breaks, I’ll try to see my family as much as I can.’

For Amena Caqusau, family is the epicentre of his love of rugby and his motivation to pursue a long career in it.

‘I think now my family are a rugby family. They’ve started to watch my rugby, and I think I’ve had a bit of an influence on my brothers as well. They are starting to pick up the ball now.

‘My brother is just a year younger than me. He started playing rugby last year. I’d like to say I had an influence on my brothers.

‘My mom does enjoy watching my games. But she doesn’t like watching me get tackled. I think she does have to realise that this happens in the game. When I went from playing at school into the men’s game, she was always scared for me, and she still is scared for me. But that’s just her being a loving mom.

‘Rugby has always been a dream of mine, like going forward in my rugby. But my dad’s in love with the game as well. He didn’t really get to do the stuff that I’ve done. I’m kind of living his dream as well.’

Amena’s roots embody what is means to be a Glasgow Warrior: fighting for our families and doing whatever it takes to achieve our goals.