Rikako Ikegae also gave a shout out to …… Rugby Japan’s national team will be challenged by Samoa’s national team commander, a man who has recovered from leukemia.
The Rugby World Cup is being held in France. On September 28, the Japanese national rugby team, which has lost one game to England, will clash with Samoa in its third “can’t-lose” game (scheduled to kick off at 4 a.m. on September 29 in Japan). The third match, which they cannot afford to lose, will be a clash with the Samoan national team. Christian Lialifano (36), the leader of the Samoan team, is known on the international sports scene as a “miracle rugger” who has recovered from leukemia, also known as “blood cancer.
Born in New Zealand, the sixth of seven siblings to Samoan parents, he moved with his family to Australia at the age of six, where he continued to compete. After overcoming the sudden death of his father, Tevita, he represented Australia U-19 in international tournaments, and in 2006 he signed a contract with the prestigious Brumbies, where he continued his career. He was selected for the first time for the Australian national team, known as the “Wallabies,” in 2001.
He missed the World Cup in 2003, but in 2004, his first son was born. He started to feel very tired around that time. In the same year, he was selected to join Suntory Sangorias, but when he underwent a thorough examination in August, leukemia was discovered.
Suntory gave me great support during my illness, such as giving me team goods. I am now playing with a sense of gratitude.”
During the course of chemotherapy and other treatments, he lost more than 10 kg, but he was able to receive a bone marrow transplant from his younger sister, Sally, due to a one-in-four match in HLA (white blood cell type) between the two siblings. He still takes off his head cap when he kicks a placekick, but he says the thinning hair on his head is a sign of his battle with the disease.
Eleven months later, he made a successful return as a top player and played for Ulster in Ireland, where he moved on a short contract.’ He returned to Australia again in 2006 and led the Brumbies team as captain. He then went on to play for the Toyota Industries Shuttles in Japan.
When he came to Japan as a member of the Brumbies in June ’19, as an athlete who overcame leukemia, he said to Rikako Ikee, a swimmer who was suffering from the same disease at the time, “The support of the people around me motivated me during my battle with the disease. （I hope (Rikako) Ikee will continue to be strong. I want her to stay strong and rely on the support of those around her because she was helped by them.
In Japan in 2007, Ikee made his first appearance in the World Cup, which he had longed for, as a member of the Wallabies, saying, “I always thought about playing in the World Cup. After the tournament, he returned to Japan to play for the NTT Communications Shining Arcs, saying, “It is always special to come back to Japan.” He was also involved in educational activities, such as participating in the “deleteC” action to support cancer treatment research and holding a TV interview with Ikegami.
