Semesa Rokoduguni is aiming to roll his tank onto England’s lawn

Former tank driver Semesa Rokoduguni has destroyed all-comers this season in the Premiership and the Bath speedster has a new target in his sights: the England No.14 jersey.
Rokoduguni has terrorised the best defences in the land after adding almost two stone of muscle over the summer while maintaining his devastating turn of speed. Following a successful debut for the Saxons in January, the 26-year-old is hoping for the call of duty to tour New Zealand in June.
Considering he made the transition to full-time rugby only last season from his job as a reconnaissance tank soldier with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and was on tour in Afghanistan in 2007, his rise has been remarkable.
On Saturday he will take to the Twickenham turf once again in Army colours hoping to make it a winning hat-trick in the famous Army v Navy extravaganza.
Rokoduguni, who scored a hat-trick and took the man of the match honour in last year’s match, told The Rugby Paper: “This will be my third year playing for the Army and each year we expect more and more from the Navy. They are getting better all the time so the outcome could go either way.
“I’ve watched a couple of their warm-up games and they did really well – so for the Army to win again we’ll have to take our game to another level.
“The skill levels are naturally not quite as high as in the Premiership, but the heart is there. The boys might deliver a slightly different game plan than the one we planned so we’ll look to keep it simple.”
Although the standard of rugby may be quite contrasting, in general Rokoduguni says it has been a relatively simple transition from Army life.
Core values of hard work and sacrifice remain the same and his positive mindset makes the dream of representing England all the more reaslistic.
“What happens in army life also happens in rugby. You just have to train hard; the more you train hard and practise, the better you get.
“It’s the same as in rugby: you must put in the hours day in, day out and spend extra time in the key areas you must improve, for me it was kicking and passing. Apo Satala has been a hero of mine as he was in the army and representing Fiji in 15s and 7s.
“He helped me take it to the next level and I’ve always kept a positive mind. That’s what Apo always told me.
“If you want to be the best and play your best rugby you have to make sacrifices. To me it’s about putting in the extra hours that you would spend with your family or friends.
“That’s the only way you can be the best player you can be. I know by making the sacrifices, I’ll be up there.”
It is a busy run in to the season for the Fiji-born flyer, who declined the invitation to represent his homeland last autumn. First he must take on Tom Varndell and his Wasps team in today’s Amlin Cup semi-final, before the Premiership play-offs.
“I’ve set myself goals and my main one is to represent England. I’m always passionate when it has anything to do with rugby, but especially playing for England.
“I have the right to play through residency having been part of the Army. Fiji asked me go play for them but there are a lot of up and coming Fijians who deserve a chance and my focus is on playing for England.
“Playing with all these top pros at Bath has helped me become a better player and I’m learning all the time.
“England have a lot of talented wings, but I’m hoping to be in that squad going down to New Zealand.
“I know I’ve got to raise my game to another level to be in the squad and I feel there is definitely room for improvement every time I play. When I’ve made all the improvements I need to, I feel I’ll definitely be up there.”
Rokoduguni says his rapid rise in the England ranks is thanks to the specialist coaching he has received at Bath, specifically the strength and conditioners.
“Without the coaches’ hard work I wouldn’t be the finisher they want me to be.
“When I arrived I was 84kg and I was struggling with the bench press so I asked the S&C coaches to give me a program to bulk me up while keeping my same speed. And they did exactly that.
“Now I’m 103kg but I’ve kept the same pace which is fantastic. Keeping my pace but carrying the extra weight can make a lot of damage.
“It helps you to dominate your opponent and if you’re five metres out from the line you’re definitely scoring with that pace and extra weight.
“It’s hard to stop someone like that.”
MATTHEW EMERY