“I’ve seen a lot of people come here, play for one year and go back home just because they didn’t have the right tools or the right people to help them.” – Kimami Situati
After a life-changing injury that cut his rugby career short, former Super Rugby player, Kimami Sitauti, now helps young Pacific Islands rugby players make a go of it in France.
Having hung up his boots two seasons ago, the former Tongan winger who began his pro-career in Super rugby before moving to France, where he spent nearly a decade in the pro-ranks, is well-positioned to offer the kind of support those new to French rugby will need.
And there is a steady stream of Pacific players heading to France to seek their rugby fortunes. As of 2026, over 400 Pacific Islands rugby players play across France’s top two professional divisions, the Top 14 And the Pro D2.
And many of those players are often scattered across the different club grades.
For Kimami, alongside his Samoan wife Gardenia, he’s now well settled into Parisian and French life, but he remembers how hard it was at the beginning.
“It was scary eh. I got the opportunity to come to France, come to a new country, a new language; I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Kimami says.
“Like everyone says, it was a culture shock.”
Kimami says the language barrier, cultural differences, homesickness, and learning how rugby works in a completely different system can be challenging when you arrive in France.
“I felt like there was a space or a person needed in this area to make it easier just like being a big brother for the players,” he says.
“I’ve seen a lot of people come here, play for one year and go back home just because they didn’t have the right tools or the right people to help them.”
Jaydon Viliamu, Braxton Asi and Tauave Leofa play in the under 21s for local club Stade Français Paris.
The players have been here for more than two years and the one thing they’ve had to do fast was learn the language.
“My first year was actually very tough. But in terms of my position, number ten, it’s very important that I learn it really quickly because with my position, communication is obviously important,” Leofa says.
“It was pretty much me and Braxton, we first arrived at the same time and we pretty much had to figure things out by ourselves, obviously the club tried to help but it was pretty difficult not learning any French,” Viliamu says.
Braxton Asi who is Samoan and Australian is grateful for the support.
“It helps so much, it almost feels like you’ve made a family here, and that’s one thing that we’ve done here with all the international boys, we’ve almost made it a little family, so we always hang out and go out together,” Asi says.
All Black legend Joe Rokocoko has been living in France since 2011 and knows all too well of the teething woes of moving to a new country, and having to learn a new language and culture.
Now assistant coach for Paris club Racing 92, he has seen first-hand how hard it is for young players migrating to a new country.
“It’s hard anywhere if you leave when you’re 18 or 17 years old and you leave home,” Rokocoko says.
“You don’t have that support system and, when you come to this side of the world, I can imagine some of the boys feel isolated in terms of the place that they come into.”
Like the former All Black, Kimami has embraced his new support role and has become like a big brother to the young players, helping with everything French, even relaying communication between coach and players.
“Sometimes you get injured, sometimes you don’t get selected, so that’s another hurdle that they have. The French coach is not playing them but he can’t speak English and all he (the player) knows is English so you know there’s mis-communication,” Kimami says.
Tongan Feleti Kaitu’u who plays for Racing 92 is grateful for the help Kimami has given so far.
“He’s just been amazing; there were so many times you’re lost you don’t know what’s around here,” says Kaitu’u.
“But not just that, it’s also around from an emotional family kind of standpoint where you’re lacking that here, far from home.”
Fellow team mate Samoan Lehopoame Leota says Kimami support is great for Pacific Islands players.
“He’s been the backbone really with things with rugby, with getting our boots or just things with life as well,” Leota says.
James Ah-Hing played in the south of France before joining Racing 92 and says he is grateful for the support.
“I’d say 100% Kimami’s been a big help for me, and just giving me the opportunity to play here at Racing, not too many boys back down where I come from.”
And Kimami encourages young rugby players to play in France. The change of culture, language and lifestyle is difficult at first, but once you embrace the change you will have no regrets.
