doing the worm in South Africa <\/a>or breaking out the ukulele.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s only been recently that Manua has broken into the Wallaroos, earning a last-minute call-up for the World Cup after Charlotte Caslick\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n
The two were separate at the time when the 18-year-old got the news she was heading to the World Cup from coach Jo Yapp.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very happy moment. I remember getting in the car because I was at my niece’s assembly and she got an award, so bless her, but the day was about me,\u201d Manua said and laughed, quick to stress she was joking.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as I\u00a0got the call from Jo, I called \u2018Tala straight away and I just called\u2019 Tala because I knew she’d be happy, I think [Yeah, of course. What the hell? – Faitala remarks]\u00a0But no, because ‘Tala has been with me and I’ve been with ‘Tala and she’s been with me through the whole journey, like every single camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a bit rough, a lot of crash outs, but we’re here. We got here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it’s still like a shock,\u201d Faitala added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs probably you’ve seen on the media that she was a late add-in to the team and so I’m still trying to soak in this experience myself but to be able to soak it in with someone that I hold close to my heart and someone I consider my best friend [turns to Manua]\u00a0I’m gassing you up again. I’m gassing you up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s just so cool having someone that you can really be your true self and your whole self to and so for this experience, for me to experience this but to experience it with my sister, I think it’s such a surreal and such a grateful moment for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sisters are as close as ever and shared what it meant to be together living out their dreams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thank the Lord for Fatala, for having my sister, allowing him to pair us together,\u201d Manua reflected. \u201cIt\u2019s been really good. She allows me to express my emotions to her, will enable me to rant and allows me to go off at her but she always helps me stay grounded\u2026It’s just a blessing to have her alongside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had two years under my belt before Manua came along and to be honest, I’m kind of grateful that I was given those years to myself as it helped me mature,” Faitala insists.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had great role models and support through our players and staff throughout those years. So, being able to have Manua come in and just hear those such nice words from her about me being her support system, I think I could only be that support system and be mature enough to take on that older sister role in a professional environment with those two years under my belt.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a different kind of responsibility now that I’m here and I am the older one and I do have more experience,\u00a0 just guiding her to be her own self and not to be my shadow is something that I truly strive to push her to be and honestly, I think she’s kind of taking more of the light now in training.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a long way from the parks in Penrith where the pair battled it out with their brothers on the field under the guidance of their \u2018supercoach\u2019 dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to go at it like we used to go because we grew up with a house predominantly full of boys,\u201d Faitala recalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to hold our own on the physical side\u2026\u00a0I think we were both trying to copy our dad. So our dad was probably our first role model in terms of sport and skill. He’s probably our first coach and probably will be our last and so we call him a super coach because when we’re on the field, we can still hear him on the stadium packed. You can just hear his voice go.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of front-yard tackling. There was a lot of action at night because I was really scared, so at night time, we used to do like we used to bash each other for free, anyone lights off, go for gold,\u201d Manua added.<\/p>\n
The sisters credit that wonderful environment created by their family for providing the opportunity to get them to England and savour a World Cup together.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey both played such important roles in terms of our journey being here,\u201d Faitala added.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom being more on the sacrificing her time and sometimes she’d start work at 6, finish at two, pick us up from school, take us to training which would finish at 9.30 and we’d come back home and she’s still waiting for her husband to finish work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust those little sacrifices and with our dad just being that person to take time to teach us the fundamentals of rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n
QUICK FIRE QUOTES AND GRABS FROM THE MOLEKA SISTERS<\/p>\n
Dealing with the local lingo<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people come to you, they’re like \u2018You right\u2019\u00a0 and I’m like, yeah\u2026Sometimes they sound like they want to fight me but it\u2019s just their way of saying hello. – Faitala.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey sound like they want to square you up – Manua.<\/p>\n
Their dad being their role model<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever we’d verse each other, I try to step like my dad. I try to be as fast as my dad never worked. He’s probably still faster than me.\u201d\u00a0– Faitala.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe still is faster – Manua<\/p>\n
Manua on facing their older brothers in the park growing up<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen someone ends up crying, it’s home time.\u201d<\/p>\n
On facing each other at training<\/p>\n
\u201cShe still yells at me on the pitch – Manua <\/p>\n
\u201cShe’s got freaking boulders for shoulders, I can tell you that. I’m pretty sure she concussed me one time. We won’t talk about that – Faitala. <\/p>\n
Faitala on if they would travel together after the World Cup<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish my bank account would tell me that I could but my bank account is telling me to take the free trip back home.”<\/p>\n