Waisake Sotutu marked a personal milestone on the morning of October 2, 1999, when his wife Adilida gave birth to the couple’s second son, Kobi Tomasi Presley Sotutu, at 8:11am at Auckland Hospital — news that reached fans as Sotutu prepared to make his Rugby World Cup debut. The timing added a rare double celebration for the family: the arrival of a newborn and Sotutu’s first appearance on rugby’s biggest stage, a match that was scheduled to be shown live on Fiji One at 7am that day.
Grandmother Makereta Nakalevu, speaking from Auckland, confirmed the birth and expressed the family’s joy. “I was enjoying life and thanked God for that,” she told reporters, describing herself as a proud grandmother. The newborn joined older brother Hoskin Colin Ryde Sotutu, who was 14 months old at the time, completing a family scene the Nakalevus said they were eagerly celebrating despite being away from home.
Sotutu, who was in Banyuls in southern France with the national squad, kept his focus on the game even as the good news arrived. His teammates had shown their support in training, carrying him off the ground in congratulatory fashion, but the fly-half told reporters he preferred to defer celebrations until after the match. “Right then, it was in the back of my mind,” Sotutu said. “The focus then was the match against Namibia. That’s why we were there.”
The match against Namibia — part of Fiji’s pool fixtures at the 1999 Rugby World Cup in France — presented a high-stakes backdrop for the family news. For supporters back home, the live broadcast on Fiji One at 7am meant many would share in both moments: watching Sotutu’s international debut and learning of the new arrival in his family. The dual timing underlined how international sporting commitments can coincide with pivotal personal events, a reality familiar to many professional athletes and their families.
The episode offered a human touch to Fiji’s World Cup campaign, showcasing the personal sacrifices and private victories that accompany life on tour. While the squad concentrated on their on-field objectives in France, Sotutu’s family were reassured by the immediate confirmation from Nakalevu and the visible camaraderie of teammates abroad.
The birth of Kobi Tomasi Presley Sotutu and the circumstances around it were first reported by The Fiji Times on October 2, 1999, and serve as a memorable footnote in the early international career of Waisake Sotutu — a moment when family celebration and national sporting duty intersected on a global stage.
Leave a comment