Writing in The Dominion Post, Chris Barclay looks at Radike Samo's remarkable transformation.
"Appearances are not always deceiving - Radike Samo might be sporting an afro hairstyle these days now but he is still the same devastating ball player who trampled rivals as the Brumbies won the Super 14 rugby crown in 2004.
The Fijian-born lock-cum-loose forward was at the peak of his powers when an Australian side last won a Super Rugby title and, fittingly, he will play a leading role as the Queensland Reds try and relive their own past glories.
Like the Brisbane-based franchise, Samo has also undergone a remarkable transformation this season, a reawakening after spending three virtually anonymous years in Yokohama.
Visions of a rampaging Samo, short back and sides and the ball clamped like a limpet in one palm, faded from the consciousness when he left Australia in 2006 for Stade Francais and then Japan. "
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