One of a select group of Pacific Islands’ internationals who starred for the Crusaders on the backline flanks, Marika Vunibaka came to the franchise with a big reputation after having excelled for Fiji at the 1999 Rugby World Cup. And the big Fijian didn’t disappoint. While his handling was troublesome on occasion ‘Vuni’, as his team-mates knew him, quickly developed into a popular member of the side, who thrived on scoring tries. Twice leading try-scorer for the team in four seasons, Vunibaka’s strike rate of 33 tries in 50 matches was an exceptional achievement given the quality of the competition and opposing defences. He also proved a more than useful addition for Canterbury, appearing in 22 matches between 2000 and 2002, where a number of crucial scores were included among the 11 tries that the Hornby club favourite contributed.