The Scottish-Fijian starlet ‘who would sleep at the train station’ to achieve rugby dream aiming to end Leinster’s Champions Cup ambitions

Edinburgh and Leinster are set to face off in the round of 16 in the Champions Cup on Sunday afternoon, with the Irish province heavy favourites to progress in the competition.

Leo Cullen’s side have a rich history in the prestigious European tournament, having lifted the trophy on four occasions, and they are aiming to lift it for a fifth time this season.

While there is an expectation that they will make their way past Edinburgh, their opponents this weekend, when it comes to sport, nothing can be guaranteed, and so the Scottish side will be aiming to cause an upset.

One of those is Malelili Satala, a Scottish-Fijian winger, as he is named in the starting side to face the Irish province on Sunday.

A win over Leinster would be another memory for Satala, who has had a very interesting life so far.

The 21-year-old has worked hard to achieve his dream of making it as a professional rugby player, getting his first break with Leicester Tigers in the PREM; however, it was not easy for him.

At 17, Satala lived in Stoke-on-Trent with his family but was part of the Tigers underage squad, yet due to the work commitments, his family could not help him make training in the morning, so he took matters into his own hands.

If he took the train that night, he would get to where he needed to be but with nowhere to stay or get it in the morning, and he would be late for his first session with Leicester.

Satala said to Rugby Pass: “The train at night was cheaper and would get me there on time.

“I wanted to make sure I was there, ready to put my best foot forward.

“I didn’t tell my parents I was leaving that night. I got on the train and decided I would sleep at the train station. Some stations wouldn’t let you stay overnight, so I slept outside the station on the ground. I filled up my bag with clothes to keep me warm. I stuffed a cotton blanket in my bag and lay on top of that, used my bag as a pillow, and lay in my coat trying to get as much rest as possible. The next morning, I tried my best to sharpen up and went to training.

“In my head, that was normal for me. Just another day. I told some people the story, and they were like, ‘What the hell? You slept at a train station?’

“You think that’s bad, live in my shoes in Fiji for a day – I don’t think you’d survive.”