Former teammates have remembered friend Willie Los'e, as the former Tonga rugby international and commentator was farewelled in Auckland.
Los'e, 55, died earlier this month in South Africa, preparing to commentate on the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
As a player, Los'e represented Auckland and North Harbour at provincial level, and played all Tonga's matches at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
After his playing career, Los'e transitioned successfully from the field to the commentary box, and was a mainstay of Sky TV's coverage of sevens in New Zealand and around the world.
At the Eden Park service, those who shared the field and dressingroom with Los'e took time to remember their former teammate.
"I was privileged to play with Willie at my club, Waitemata, when he came out fresh from Kelston Boys," All Blacks legend Sir Michael Jones told Newshub.
"Fair to say, he not only brought mana and physical presence. He was such an outstanding leader and beautiful rugby player.
"He brought a lot of class and sophistication, panache, something we didn't have much [of] out in Waitemata anyway.
"That's how he lived his life. He was determined to roll with his own style in his own ways.
"That's what we loved about him, he was very unique."
Former All Black Sir John Kirwan was another to remember Los'e, describing him as one of the few players to ever rival him for fashion sense.
"He was a well-dressed man, Willie," joked Sir John. "I always remember him coming into the changingroom as a young man.
"He loved his clothing. I'd just got back from Italy, so we'd always have a bit of a banter about who was the best-dressed man.
"He was as vain as me - which is hard to find. He was always friendly, always had a smile on his face, always upbeat.
"I saw him all around the world. It's a pretty sad day for us."
