Josh Anite moved from his hometown of Lagos, Nigeria to Cambridge, England at the age of 14, leaving one soccer-rich nation for another, even if it was not his choice.

“I wanted to go later on,” Anite said, “but my parents were like, I need to get a better education.”

He settled in North London and became a fan of Arsenal F.C. and dreamed of playing soccer.

“In Nigeria, soccer is massive. It’s the only sport I played,” Anite said. “ I would’ve liked to play for Arsenal, but that didn’t happen.”

At the Leys School in England, Anite was introduced to rugby and played on both the rugby and soccer teams. The school’s rugby program is renowned and has produced several world-class players. Anite became easily attracted to the sport. Now, as a freshman at Syracuse, Anite uses the skills he learned from years of playing soccer to excel in rugby with the Hammerheads.

“I like how bonded the players are,” Anite said. “In soccer there are loads of egos, everyone has their own ego. Playing rugby is like a whole family, everyone is working together, fighting for each other.”

Initially at Syracuse, Anite’s primary focus was on trying out for Syracuse’s Division-I soccer team as a walk-on. But he was deemed unfit and competition to join the team was already fierce.

One of Anite’s friends at SU, Felix Eyers, introduced him to the rugby team. Anite plays in the back three and has worked his way up to the first team and come as a valuable replacement to a team that has several injuries to key players.

“His footwork that he has developed from playing soccer all those years is definitely helping him out on the rugby field,” captain Angus Bishop said. “His pace and his ability to make people miss is really valuable to the team.”

While Anite’s speed and athleticism are already top-notch, Bishop said he still needs to develop his passing game. Head coach Bob Wilson also praised his athletic talent, tackling and ability to create space. However, like Bishop, Wilson thinks Anite needs to continue to refine his game in terms of structure and discipline.

With certain tweaks, Bishop said he believes Anite’s game will take off.

“As he gets a bit more experience under his belt, he will become more and more of a force to be reckoned with,” Bishop said.

Wilson said Anite impressed with “a couple” scores in a scrimmage against Le Moyne about two weeks ago. That performance helped push him into the first team — a spot he feels comfortable at now.

“It’s been smoother than I thought it would be,” Anite said. “The culture is very different for me, but I think I’m fitting in well with everyone.”

Published on October 21, 2015 at 8:27 pm

Contact Jake: jafalk@syr.edu