Irae Simone's face brims with delight when asked what wearing the Brumbies' unique Pasifika jersey against the Hurricanes will mean to him this weekend.
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"Words can't describe how much pride and joy it brings to my heart and a lot of the boys here at the moment just to represent their families," Simone said.
"For us islanders, we're passionate about family and it's what we pride ourselves on. It's a huge honour, for the boys to have this round and getting the whole team around it and the whole organisation behind it.
"We're just looking forward to showing everyone how much this jersey means to the players and especially us Pacific Islanders."
Simone is of Samoan descent, and fiercely proud of his heritage.
It's why he was so actively involved in the design of this weekend's jersey, which will be worn as part of the Trans Tasman Super Rugby Pasifika round celebration.
Brumbies players helped Simone drive the key concepts of the jersey, before he collaborated with his friend Angelique Sloss in designing the final product.
The jersey itself resembles something never before seen on a professional Australian sporting field.
At first glance the design resembles a male Pacific Islander standing on an ocean vessel, spear in hand hunting for food.
But closer inspection of the design brings out incredibly intricate details, representing five Pasifika nations - Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Niue and the New Zealand Maori.
The warrior is adorned in traditional tattoos - there's a Maori ta moko on his chin, a Fijian samuqawe on his right shoulder, a Samoan soga'imiti on the waist and legs, a Tongan tatau on the left forearm and a Niuean tatau on his calf.
Each tattoo represents an element of Pasifika heritage - courage, fearlessness, endurance, power, leadership, and protection.
In the background is the Pacific Ocean and a palm tree, and the entire jersey is adorned faintly with the pattern of a fala, a traditional sitting mat common in the island.
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"I used the boat just because a lot of people on the outside see us islanders as fresh off the boat which is pretty cool, but also represents us and who we are and that's how we get around on the islands, to navigate and get to each of the different islands," Simone said.
"The coconuts, palm trees represent us as just our native trees that's all around the islands. And then we've got the Pacific Ocean and all the patterns around it that represent every single one of us.
"I didn't want the lines, the detail to be sharp, I wanted it to be really raw like someone was drawing it. As we all know we're not perfect, so I wanted it to be really raw to make it look really realistic.
"There's a lot of detail. It's a huge privilege for us and for the team to take that on board and to get around it as well. It's a huge privilege for all the Pacific Islanders.
"As you see on the outside it's just telling a story on how we are as strong Warriors taking on the field which is why the design is like that."
The back of the jersey provides a list of the club's Pasifika players, next to the villages their families are from.
For Brumbies prop Scott Sio, a man of proud Samoan heritage himself, the jersey provides a welcome reminder of his family's homeland.
"We like to get back to Samoa a lot, see our family, my Dad has close ties to his family and a lot of things they do around the village there, it's a place I hold dear," Sio said.
"The biggest thing I'm proud of is how engaging our organisation has been, to learn, to experience a lot of that world as well and really contribute to our diversity as a club and understand what makes us unique.
"I couldn't be more proud and privileged to represent this club and I'm just happy that we have a week to recognise that."
Simone said the Brumbies were determined to finish the Trans Tasman season on a high after losing all three matches in New Zealand.
"You've got to take into account how dangerous Hurricanes can be as well, you don't want to get carried away with the emotions and what it means and what Pasifika round is," Simone said.
"At the end of the day we've got a job to go out there."
The Brumbies' unique Pasifika jersey will be available for sale at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night, and available for purchase online thereafter until supply runs out.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
