Most rugby players don't plan for life after the game — because everything in the professional environment tells you to focus on right now. Semisi Telefoni, aka "The Wine Chief," is a Tongan New Zealander who played professional rugby in France for over a decade, and then did something very deliberate: he found his passion, used his rugby network to fund his education, competed for one of 13 spots in an MBA programme at the Burgundy School of Business, and built a career in the wine industry from the ground up. This conversation is for every player starting to feel the signs — and for the families supporting them through it.

WHAT'S COVERED:

• Why professional rugby's full-time demands make post-career planning hard — and why the transition still catches most players off guard

• How Semisi first became curious about wine through faith, French family culture, and life on the road as a professional player

• The family conversation: what his wife Alison, his mum, and his Tongan peers said when he told them he was going to study wine in France

• Provale — the French player transition organisation that helped Semisi access government support, course funding, and 80% of his final salary during his study window (and what the equivalent looks like for players in other unions)

• What studying wine while still playing professional rugby actually looked like: WSET books on the team bus, online courses at Carcassonne, and carving out Sunday and Monday study windows around the professional programme

• How Semisi negotiated a package with an amateur club in Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy — house, car, and MBA fees covered — in exchange for playing rugby, while completing his master's at the Burgundy School of Business (selected from 500 applicants for 13 places)

• The bias Pacific Islanders still face in non-traditional industries, and how Semisi carries himself through it

• What rugby skills — showing up, relationships, resilience under pressure — transferred directly into a career in wine sales

• Semisi's direct advice to any player aged 24–28 playing overseas with no plan: find your passion, contact Provale or its equivalent, start talking, and start now

• What Semisi would tell his younger, stressed-out self: chill out, talk to someone, and trust that making mistakes is part of building what comes next

TIMESTAMPS: (00:09) Intro — why life after rugby matters and the context of Semisi's story (02:57) Rugby is only a sliver of your life — the professional era and what it cost players (04:08) When Semisi started thinking about what comes next — final seasons at Agen and Carcassonne (06:20) How wine entered his story — from church sacrament to French family dinners (08:18) Family reaction — wife Alison, his mum, his Tongan peers, and his rugby mates (10:46) Provale — France's player transition organisation and how to access support (12:46) What studying wine alongside professional rugby actually looked like (16:07) The MBA decision — Burgundy School of Business, 500 applicants, 13 places (22:05) Why being immersed in France made the learning stick (23:55) Doubt during the master's — and how rugby taught him to push through (29:09) What the wine industry taught him about himself that rugby didn't (32:09) What rugby still shows up in how he works every day (35:21) Advice for the player aged 24–28 with no plan and a body saying stop (39:25) What he'd tell his younger, worried self looking back

For the full episode — including European rugby results, the Champions Cup final, and the Pro D2 barrage — check out Episode 36 of Talking About A Carpool. And if this kind of conversation is what you're here for, subscribe and you'll get Da Kuleana every week.

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